Fairy of Zero
by Razamataz22
Summary: Louise had wished for the summon she brought forth to be both beautiful and powerful. While Fairy Tail's Titania, Erza Scarlet, fit those catagories it's quite possible that Louise should have wished for something else.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

The explosion rang out across the grounds, many students had either found themselves on the ground or were coughing as they did their best to get rid of the black smoke threatening to invade their lungs. In a select few cases, both. Regardless, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the Vallière family, stood proud and unmoving as she waited for the destructive force of her spell to clear. She silently prayed for some sort of mythical creature to appear out of the smoke. A dragon. A fae. Even some sort of Salamander if only to show up that cow Zerbst.

When the smoke cleared however she all of her hopes were shattered when she saw a human woman lying on the ground. Her composure broke though when she saw the state in which the woman was in. Burn marks, bandages, severe lacerations to her arms and legs. It looked as if she had summoned someone straight off a hospital bed.

A scream from one of her peers seemed to snap everything back into reality and panic quickly ensued.

"The Zero killed someone!"

"A summoning spell shouldn't do that!"

"Wait, the commoner's still breathing."

"Only just."

"Somebody get her to the medical bay!"

Louise didn't know how long she had stood there in shock and it was only when a comforting hand placed itself on her shoulder did she seem to snap out of her stupor. Looking over her shoulder, she was more surprised than anything that the comforting touch had come from Kirche. However there was no hurtful comment, no malice filled verbal jab but just a look of sadness.

Louise couldn't help as the tears swelled in her eyes. This was the first time she had actually done something semi right. She had managed to bring forth something to be her familiar just like every other student in her class had. Not only though had she summoned forth a human to be her familiar, essentially making them nothing more than a glorified slave but they were critically injured. The familiar a mage summoned was destined to be their familiar until one of the two passed away, then and only then was the magical contract between the mage and the familiar concluded.

Was she such a poor user of magic that the most relative familiar she could summon be on the verge of death?

"Miss Vallière," said Professor Colbert, the teacher from the afternoon walking forward to where Kirche was supporting Louise. "There is much we do not know of the situation at hand but I ensure you that the medical staff at this facility will do their best to ensure that your summoned familiar achieves a full recovery."

"Thank you," Louise said in barely more than a whisper.

"That being said, perhaps completing the ritual would help in the recovery," stated the professor. "It is well documented that when a mage completes their contract with their familiar that some of the magic passes through the mage to the familiar to help bind them together. This in turn sometimes does give the familiar unique abilities. Your magic coursing through her however might increase her survival chances."

"I know this is a tough thing to ask of you but please consider it."

Those were the last words Professor Colbert gave before walking away, likely to inform the Headmaster of the situation at hand. Kirche knew exactly what their professor had been referring to but remained silent on the matter. Sealing the contract with a kiss was the final step in binding a familiar to a mage. Being asked to give your first kiss to a commoner, a woman no less, was a task no noble should be given. Young women their age were expected to be making connections at the academy, which in turn may create a relationship down the line which could potentially align two houses and bolster the strength between them. She could think of very few students at the school who would consider aligning themselves with Louise, firstly due to her magical success rate and secondly because she now had a personal handmaiden whom which she would have kissed.

Being a Zerbst, her ideal on romance were far more open than most of those from Tristain and such a thing wouldn't bother her. The rest of the school however would be far more judgemental.

"Knight," said Tabitha, the blue haired mage had been standing behind them the entire time with her book in hand, not having said a single word.

"What?" asked Louise, the first word to have come out of her mouth since her disastrous spell.

In response, Tabitha pointed with her staff towards the spot where Louise's summon had been called to. "She wore armour."

Those three little words lingered in the air for what felt like far longer than they should have as Louise's mind slowly connected the dots. She had asked for something that was beautiful, powerful and wise and she had brought forth a female knight. Perhaps the universe had selected everything she had asked for.

…

Louise stood in the medical wing of academy and looked over her summoned Familiar. The water mages who had healed her had done an excellent job as expected though from the murmurs and whispers Louise had heard on the way up it had been tough going. A quick word with the nurse informed her that all of the life threatening injuries had been dealt with and she was in no immediate danger. For everything else however they had made the decision to wait for the patient to wake up from her slumber on her own merit before continuing with their procedures.

Her familiar had been stripped of her armour and put into a standard hospital gown before being tucked in to one of the beds located in the ward. Louise walked over to her summoned familiar's armour and ran her fingers along the breastplate. All along she could feel small scratches and dents all over the piece which any good blacksmith could easily remove. The reason they were still there however Louise assumed were as badges of honor. Every attack she had allowed to slip past her guard and connect with her armour was a mistake which could not be made again. This woman carried with her all of her potentially life threatening attempts on her person with her everywhere she went.

It was somewhat inspirational.

That however didn't change the fact that she was now bound to Louise as her familiar. Lifting up her wand, Louise began her chant. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make her my familiar." Her words having been spoken, Louise leant forward before allowing her lips to touch those of her Familiar. She could feel a small spark at that moment, likely the bedridden familiar unknowingly drawing magic off of her in order to complete their contract. There was no movement from her however, even when runes burned into the back of her left palm with enough pain to make lesser men pass out.

Louise lifted her head to look at her still resting familiar before searching out the nurse in order to give instructions for what was to happen when she awoke. "When my familiar wakes, please ensure that she does not panic before sending for me," Louise instructed before heading towards the exit. There was little more she could do now until such a time as her familiar recovered.

"Ah, Miss Vallière," the nurse said, garnering Louise's attentions as she closed in on the exit. "While examining the patient's body, we came across a strange insignia marked on her left forearm. On this own there was nothing to really worry about, during our initial inspection we could feel trace amounts of magic radiating from the mark."

Louise's eyes widened and she was grateful that she had her back to the nurse lest her expression be shown. "Thank you for informing me of this," she finally said before leaving the hospital ward and making a beeline straight for her room. There was so much to contemplate and the mark on her familiar's arm was just the icing on the cake. Members of merchant guilds often carried around a talisman to show that they were who they said they were and not trying to hoax the client out of a deal. The idea that the sleeping knight had not just a tattoo of some variety but one that had trace amounts of magic surrounding it made her worry somewhat. The scratches on the armour, the wounds she had suffered and an insignia which symbolized her prior allegiance. This all begged the simple question.

Who was her familiar?

…

Erza Scarlet awoke that night, her body filled with pain and agony. She knew exactly why; the battle against Grimoire Heart followed by the desolation at the hands of Acnologia made it quite easy to understand just why her body hurt so much. It didn't however explain how she had gotten onto an island that had suffered the breath attack of a dragon of all things and into what she assumed was a hospital. Not one for looking a gift horse in the mouth however, Erza pushed herself into a seated position, ignoring the pain that plagued her body.

Turning to the window, Erza hoped to see some sort of landmark or town that would give her some sort of inclination to where exactly she was. Unfortunately, the immediate sight of two moons hanging in the night sky eradicated any sane thought she had had at that moment. Where was she? Had Acnologia's blast sent her hurtling to some sort of alternate dimension? Where were the rest of Fairy Tail?

Erza knew that she needed answers but she was injured and nowhere near the level of strength she wished to be demanding answers of anyone. There was still the possibility that she was a prisoner of some variety and causing a ruckus could end up causing far more damage than good. For now she needed to hide and get whatever information she could.

Her eyesight drifted lower to the buildings surrounding her and the first thought was that the size was immense. At that time however she constructed the theory that such a big building belonged to a nobleman or even a member of royalty, and if that was the case then they would have a team of cleaners and cooks at their beck and call.

A golden light encompassed her body before she stood there in the maid outfit she had purchased what seemed like an eternity ago. It had served her well in the past and if it meant she could blend in without worry then that was what she would do. Her steps echoed out through the night before Erza turned around and looked at the armour that had been removed from her body. Utilizing her magic, it vanished in a golden glow before Erza left the room. All she needed to do was find another servant and explain that she was new to the establishment and needed a tour.

There was absolutely no way that this could turn out wrong.

...

 **Hope you enjoyed. I only recently got a hold of Familiar of Zero and fell in love with it immediately. Having read a fair amount of the crossover fics I wished to do one myself but wanted to bring forth a character that hadn't been used before, hence ladies and gentlemen, we shall get to witness just how long Erza can handle the situations at hand.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Siesta hummed to herself a merry tune as she walked through the hallways of the magical academy. She had been a maid at the school for quite a while now and she thought that she had seen more than her fair share of strange things. Seeing a maid, or what looked like a maid since while the outfit looked similar to her own it was different in many ways, snooping around corners as if doing her best to not be caught was somewhat hilarious in it's own right. Unfortunately, she couldn't help but since the outfit was dissimilar to her own that the woman wasn't a maid at all and was using it as a disguise.

But for what purpose would someone disguise themselves as a maid?

Terrible things started creeping in to her mind, many of which she would later blame the romance novels she had been lately been reading but knew that she had to do something about the situation at hand. She very well couldn't leave her to her own devices, such a thing would be seen as blatant disregard on her part and could have highly negative repercussions on her career in the academy. On the other hand, she could be taking things well out of proportion and were she to make some sort of debacle out of a situation she knew nothing about she could be in even bigger trouble. For all she knew this was some sort of test or perhaps even nothing more than one of the students having been put under some sort of dare or even, as questionable as it may sound, they were on their way to another dorm for some late night activities.

Those romance novels were really getting to her mind.

Taking in a deep breath, Siesta concluded that she needed to do something about this conundrum. Having not come across it would have been the best option by far but now that she was already too deep. She knew if all of the staff were questioned about a rogue thief rummaging through the night dressed as a maid she wouldn't be able to hide her expression. Thus, regardless of how stupid it sounded in her head, she stepped forward to confront whoever this person was and silently prayed that all of the terrible thoughts in her mind were just that, thoughts. Nothing more.

"Umm...excuse me…"

Her voice had barely carried between the two of them before the reaction was clear. A blade she had not known that the red haired woman had possessed appeared before her, the tip pointed at her throat. Siesta found that whatever comeback she could come up with immediately died with the weapon poised to end her life, closing her eyes as she embraced for the inevitable. It seemed she had found an intruder after all.

"Oh, a maid," the woman said, Siesta opening her eyes to find the weapon gone. Completely gone, not buckled at the hip or anything. Had her imagination run so wild that she had merely constructed the weapon in her mind? "Are you able to help me, I'm rather new here and I'm trying to find my way to the kitchens."

"The kitchens," repeated Siesta as she contemplated the possibilities at hand. When new employees were inducted into the academy they were given a highly detailed explanation on the school grounds, including where all of the facilities were. For a maid (if he disguise was to be believed in the slightest) to have forgotten where the kitchens were was something that would result in severe consequences, either from the head chef or from the employers.

Now though that she knew this woman's intended destination she came to a conundrum once more. For what point and purpose would one who had snuck into a facility such as this need from the kitchens of all places? Did they have nefarious plans in play? Did they mean to poison someone?

Were she to take this stranger to the kitchen however then the numbers game would be in their advantage. Many of the chefs were already preparing for the morning's feast and as such would be ready for action. They may be peasants, but in numbers however and with the element of surprise on their side they would likely be able to subdue this intruder before handing her over to the proper authorities. If there was even a bounty of some sort then she could only imagine the joy such an act would bring.

"The kitchens, of course, please follow me," said Siesta, turning her back to the theoretical intruder to head towards the kitchens. The sound of footsteps and the shadows created by the moonlight showed that she was being followed. She was silently hoping that she was making the right decision here.

There path towards the kitchens was made in silence and all the while Siesta's insecurities began to grow. Was she making the wrong decision? Was this simply a new employee she had yet to meet? Was she overthinking this entire situation? What would happen to her if she was completely wrong?

"So this is the kitchens?" asked the stranger, snapping Siesta out of her stupor. The distance between where she had first seen the red haired woman to where they were currently standing was quite a large distance by foot. Had she truly been lost in her thoughts the entire trip here?

Siesta responded as any person would do in this sort of situation. "Yes, of course, this is the kitchens, we're here, please, come in!" Her words were rapid and pace and she was happy that the person she had been escorting couldn't see her face at the moment. Pushing forward the door, she hoped that some sort of distraction would be able to snatch the attention off of her.

Thankfully, the head chef had her covered. "Siesta," Marteau, the head chef bellowed as he saw the maid step into his battleground. "Here I was thinking you'd gone to bed for the evening. Who's your friend? I haven't seen her around."

Perhaps it was because of just how scatterbrained she was at that moment, a complicated mixture of her jumbled thoughts and the time of the evening it was, that she said what she said. "This is an intruder I found." The complacent nature of which Siesta spoke that line completely contradicted the seriousness of the situation and for a few seconds everything went silent.

Then chaos erupted.

…

"We are sorry for actions and accusations!" chorused the occupants of the kitchen as they bowed their heads, both in shame and to hide their recently received injuries. They would likely banter and jest about the swift battle they had been a part of and they were simply glad that their foe had gone easy on them.

"Still, that's quite a story," said Marteau before ordering the staff under his command back to work, leaving only himself, Siesta and Erza. "The magic of dragons is different from that of humans and as such isn't all well documented. A dragon the size of the one you described, it isn't impossible to believe it has magical abilities never before seen or recorded."

"Acnologia," said Siesta, repeating the name that Erza had given. A black dragon which Erza had described as being so large that she herself was likely the size of one of its teeth. What sort of monstrosity was that?

"We can offer you a temporary place with us until your wounds have healed," declared Marteau. "With this being a school with children having been sent from all different kinds of regions across the land, chances are that if any of their parents have heard of such a dragon they will be told of it in a letter."

"So this is a school," stated Erza.

"Yep, this is the Tristain Academy of Magic and we are but it's humble servants," he said in a joking manner, chuckling to himself. "With it being a school, as you can imagine the rumor mill is quite high and while we in the kitchen may not hear the most of it, maids like Siesta here are always out and about. I'm sure if there is any word of a dragon attack, she'll be able to hear it."

"That won't be necessary," stated Erza, confusing both Marteau and Siesta. "I've done enough infiltration missions for my guild, if I can get a similar outfit to Siesta then I should have no problem acting out the part of a maid."

"If you're sure," said Marteau with a dejected sigh, having a terrible feeling about all of this. "Just remember that these are school children who are noble born. If a maid starts asking questions out of turn there's no telling what they might do."

Erza scoffed at the thought of having to be worried about the attitude of kids, let alone if they were the children of some rich people or not. Acting the part of a maid would be easy. Her train of thought was derailed however as her stomach rumbled violently, a sign that she hadn't eaten in quite some time. Marteau couldn't help but laugh and even Siesta found herself giggling as Erza tried to play it off as if nothing had happened.

"Alright then, while I rustle you up some food Siesta will go fetch you an outfit before giving you a rundown of what you'll be doing tomorrow," declared Marteau before setting about his task.

"I'll be back in a minute," said Siesta before walking off and leaving Erza standing there. Erza allowed herself to sigh as she recounted the version of the story she had passed off to the staff. While most of it had been as it had had happened it was a very short version of the tale. Some other things she simply hadn't brought up, such as the fact that every night when she had gone to bed she had done so with only one moon in the sky. There was still much more that she needed to figure out.

…

"Gone! What do you mean she's gone?" Louise demanded of the nurse. Being the thoughtful master that she was, she had taken the liberty of getting up as the sun rose to go check on her summoned familiar, regardless if they had awoken or not. Right now she should have been in the dining hall having breakfast but instead she had thought of checking on her familiar first and foremost. Now she had gone through all of that trouble only to find that her familiar wasn't even there.

"My apologies," said the nurse on duty. "When your familiar was brought in, the diagnosis showed immense amount of damage to the body. While we worked on everything potentially life threatening the pain they should have been should have kept them bedridden for at least a few more days. If she's not careful there's no telling what sort of injuries she may aggravate."

Louise ground her teeth and left without saying another word. Her familiar was just shrugging off injuries that should keep her bedridden? Preposterous! There was a limit to how stupid a person could be, even if they were a commoner. Was it because she was a member of some noble's personal guard and her pride demanded that she return to them, regardless of her injuries?

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

When she found her familiar she would show them that all of her past loyalties meant nothing and that Louise was her master now and that she should be the only one she should serve. It was somehow ironic however that at that very moment, Erza Scarlet was currently in the dining room, serving every other student that had made their way to breakfast alongside Siesta and the other maids who had been clued in on the situation.

Infiltration, success.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero or Fairy Tail**

…

Kirche was nothing if not am observant young woman. As the other students sated their hunger she was always searching for someone in particular to help sate her other urges. She was a passionate woman after all and despite having attempted to create multiple connections with the men of the school she had yet to find one that could fill the void inside of her. It wouldn't stop her from trying by any means but it was not men who were the target of her observation this morning.

Instead her eyes were locked on one of the maids, dutifully going about her duty and cleaning up the dishes that the students had left behind, all while doing so with a smile on her face. It was the first time she had seen this maid at the academy, perhaps this was their first shift at the school in general. Yet at the same time she looked far too familiar to be a coincidence. She thought of inquiring about this situation with Tabitha but the blue haired mage in training beside her had her nose buried in her book, a situation Kirche had found the girl in more often than not.

The connection between the two of them was odd to say the least. They had both been outcasts of sorts with her being from Germania and Tabitha seemingly reluctant to open up to anyone about her personal life. Somehow despite their differences they had drifted together and an odd form of friendship was formed between the two of them. Sure their conversations were mostly one sided with Tabitha only chipping in, at most, three words to steer their chatter in a certain direction. Regardless of that, Kirche was happy to have Tabitha as a friend, and that was what mattered most.

"So what did you think of Louise's familiar, a human of all things?" asked Kirche of Tabitha.

Not surprisingly, the blue haired mage didn't even lift her head from her book as she responded. "Strong."

"Oh, how so?" asked Kirche of her friend once more, to try and get something more closely resembling a sentence.

"Steel armour, heavy," was all Tabitha had to say on the topic. Kirche allowed a satisfied 'hmm' to escape her lips but knew that there was no more point in trying to get any more detail from Tabitha, too many attempts had taught her that there was no real point. She did find herself agreeing with the point her friend had made however. The strength necessary to walk around in armour would require a great deal of physical ability, one which any normal woman wouldn't be capable of achieving. There had to be some sort of enchantment on the steel in order to make it lighter...but what kind of commoner could afford enchanted armour?

Her musings however were shattered as ear ringing shouts from Montmoroncy aimed towards her crush. Huiche meanwhile looked like he was doing his best to backpeddle but with his back to the table he had nowhere to run and was forced to take the full brunt of Montmorocy's fury, one which ended with a swift slap across the cheek which echoed through the dining room.

Kirche couldn't help but chuckle; she had seen Guiche flirting with a first year student a little while back and she had been hoping to use that information for blackmail material down the track. She supposed this was what the entire situation was about and if that was the case then Guiche deserved everything that was coming his way.

Unfortunately it seemed that in order to save some manner of face, he was now directing outrage towards the maid who had seemingly caused this scene. The maid probably didn't even know that what they had done would have this kind of effect and now she would be punished out of spite.

Kirche felt herself get sick as the maid dropped to her knees, begging for forgiveness. Guiche lifted a hand, seeming to be preparing himself to strike the maid at his feet. Whether he had actually intended to strike the innocent party or simply make a bluff of it all was never answered as Kirche watched a vice like grip cement itself around Guiche's wrist.

It was, of course, at this moment where most of the hall went completely silent as they chose to turn their attention to the spectacle at play. Or more importantly, the fact that the new maid, in an act of bravery to same her companion, had latched her hand onto Guiche to prevent any harm from befalling her friend. Brave, but foolish.

"Unhand me peasant!" Guiche's voice echoed through the hall before he went into a typical tyrade of who he was, why his father was so important and how filth like her didn't have the right to even think of touching him. That however was not the end of it and with nothing more than what looked like a gentle nudge, Guiche was pushed to the floor, unceremoniously landing on his ass.

Kirche couldn't help but rub at her eyes; this could not end well.

…

"You didn't have to do that," said Siesta for what seemed the upteenth time in an incredibly short period of time.

"It's just what my guild does," said Erza with a smile. "I recall a time where I was on trial, a proxy one of sorts to simply show that the council was doing something in regards to our recent actions. My guildmate had attempted to rescue me and in doing so burst down the council chamber door with no fear of the consequences."

"My goodness!" exclaimed Siesta as she quickly pondered the ramifications such actions would have before returning her train of thought to the situation at hand. "Despite that, you should just apologize to Master Guiche."

"I will not," declared Erza, her voice holding no fear.

"But he is a noble, and we are mere commoners," said Siesta, her voice in comparison quivering and showing her worry.

Erza's eyes sharpened as she looked at the maid. "Siesta, what makes Guiche a noble?"

Siesta couldn't help but blink in confusion. It was common sense regarding what made a Noble noble. She then recalled however the battle that Erza had said her guild had had with Acnologia (the thought of just how big the dragon had been described as had plagued Siesta's dreams and had given her a restless sleep) and because of that decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. A dragon of that size would definitely make you forget the simplest of things.

"It's because he uses magic."

"Magic?" repeated Erza.

"Yes, every student and teacher here is a noble and is capable of using magic," elaborated Siesta. Surely now that she had explained this Erza would see the error of her ways and apologize for her actions.

"Siesta, if you choose not to watch the duel I will not blame you but know this, I will not back down."

Siesta meanwhile found her mouth agape at Erza's words and she couldn't find the strength to follow Erza towards Vestry Court where the duel was to take place. There still was that little hope inside of her, Erza after all had challenged a dragon head on but from what she said of her guildmates, it seemed as if they were rather foolhardy. The compassion in which she had spoken about her friend who had broken into the council to save her made it sound as if she would do the same for them.

She found herself at that moment admiring Erza and her courage. If she had had the strength to challenge a dragon, perhaps she had the power to take on a noble. However every instance in which she had seen a commoner try to rise up against a noble, the resulting attack ensured that any commoner in the vicinity would never uprise again. Maybe...just maybe, Erza could be the first person of common birth to effectively stand up against a noble. Prior experience in any sort of situation however ensured her that such thoughts were hopeless, yet she couldn't help but hope.

It may have been a helpless hope, but she could still pray.

...

Louise had been marching down one of the hallways, her hands clenched into fists when she had first heard the rumours. Guiche had challenged a commoner to a duel. It didn't matter about the happenstance as such, for her first thought centred around a specific peasant who may or may not know the proper code of conduct of around nobles. A commoner who should have at that stage been hospitalized with agonizing pain was running about the academy to the best of her knowledge, one who may have been doing anything to escape.

Why did she have the terrible feeling her familiar was caught up in something terrible?

Straight away she started heading towards Vestry court, every time she passed someone all she could hear were about how a maid had assaulted one of her classmates. Unfortunately she couldn't help but make the connections to what very well may be a loose familiar whom she was seeking for.

As she rushed towards the courtyard, she came to the swift conclusion that if by some chance her familiar had challenged Guiche, it would be up to her to stop this catastrophe. A commoner by any chance had no chance against a noble, let alone a commoner who should still be receiving medical attention. This would be a massacre, one that she had to stop.

Eventually she reached the courtyard in question. It was clear that something was going on due to the number of students in attendance. Despite her small stature though she was still able to see what all the commotion was about.

There she was, her familiar, standing opposite Guiche in a declared duel. She had no clue as to what or how the person she had summoned and subsequently made the contract with to be her familiar was now standing opposite Guiche. She would be punished for this, regardless of how this came about or the outcome. She had been worried sick about her familiar only to now find her standing in the middle of the courtyard opposite her womanising classmate.

First thought that went through her head was that her familiar had no chance in the upcoming duel. It didn't matter what kind of skill she had with a sword, against a mage it was effectively worthless. Yet it didn't even seem unfair enough for Guiche's standards and her familiar didn't even have a sword to defend herself with. A commoner against a mage without anything to protect themselves from harm was paramount to suicide.

She opened her mouth, determined to end this farce before she watched the result of the single spell she had accomplished be splattered across the ground. Yet she couldn't find herself able to speak. There was a look in her familiar's eyes. Not terror or fear of someone clearly better than herself, but confidence. Why? How could a commoner even think they had a chance against a mage?

This farce had to end.

"Guiche!" she called out but her cry was drowned out by the commotion that was caused by Guiche summoning his valkyrie. The bronze golem marched forward with much adoration from the crowd. Duels weren't permissible between students and as a result nobody really got much chance to see someone's true skills in action. The damage done to a commoner was merely an excuse to show off one's magic in this scenario, nothing more, nothing less.

"You can beg for your life, if you so wish," declared Guiche, lording over her familiar. Louise didn't blame him for doing so, the commoner she had summoned had no weapons, no armour and was facing a construction made of bronze, one of many she assumed Guiche could summon.

"At the end of this, I will have you apologize to Siesta for what you have done." The coldness in which she had said those words spread across the courtyard and there was silence for but a few moments before the students burst out in laughter.

"Did you hear that?"

"A commoner thinks she can win?"

"You deserve what's coming to you!"

"Show her her place Guiche!"

Louise meanwhile struggled from tearing her hair out then and there. Of all the stupid familiars she could have summoned, she had managed to get one that was not only human but apparently had a death wish. Even if the woman managed to get through this it would be up to her to show the red haired commoner her place!

…

Guiche guided a stray lock of hair back behind his ear as his valkyrie marched forward, closing the distance between itself and it's target. He could hear the cheers coming in his direction and he was determined to give these people a show. Hence his creation was being controlled to only beat up the peasant in as humiliating a way as possible. The first move would be a simple thrust forward and every human feared their own death. The commoner would stumble away, possibly even tripping over their own feet and crashing to the ground where they would quickly come to the realization of just how much trouble they were in.

Guiche would not allow the punishment to end there. The bruises this woman would receive would serve as a reminder to respect her betters.

The construct he had made got within range of the peasant. She did not back down. He watched the bronze valkyrie pull its arms back in a very exaggerated matter. She did not back down. The valkyrie attacked. She did not back down.

The spear thrust forward and Guiche quickly found himself in a conundrum. He had had no intention of killing this woman but she seemed intent on dying. The moments where he could make any semblance of a decision ticked closer and closer as he wondered whether he should stop the attack right here and now. What would be worse for his reputation? The death of a peasant or him being shown as someone who wouldn't back up on their word?

A scream from the sidelines drew his attention and suddenly realization came through that time may have made his decision. He wouldn't dare bring his gaze back to the person he had inadvertently slain. Why? He had intended to scare her, to show her her place but death? He felt sick.

"Look out!"

Had it been one voice, several voices, Guiche couldn't tell. All he knew at that moment was that he had to listen. He turned his head to see what he needed to avoid but was too slow and the warm sensation of blood running down his skin sent shivers down his spine. Shaking fingers reached up and felt the freshly made cut that ran across his cheek, a painful sting jolting all of his senses.

Disbelieving eyes stared forward to find his valkyrie in shambles, the weapon it had wielded now lodged in the wall behind him dripping tiny droplets of blood to stain the grass. And there she was. Standing there with her arm extended from her throw, those cold calculated eyes staring at his very being.

The crowd around him roared and demanded for Guiche to end this charade but he could tell there was no point continuing. Had her aim been the slightest bit more centred, a feat which he was more than confident she was capable of, then he wouldn't be taking this breath at this moment and his life would have ended. There were no 'ifs' or 'buts' about it.

Guiche dropped to his knees and the courtyard went silent. "I...I concede." His words were soft but carried to everyone in the vicinity. He could hear the jeers immediately and knew that it would take some time and effort before he would regain even a fraction of the dignity and respect he had just lost but considering he was still alive he would gladly give those up. Perhaps not gladly but he didn't really have much choice in the matter.

It was his loss.

…

Louise found herself unable to move as she stood there, her mouth agape as she tried to contemplate just what had happened. It lasted eight, maybe seven seconds if even that. Her familiar had stopped the spear which had threatened to impale her with her bare hands, gripping the weapon just beneath the spearhead.

With the immediate threat of danger she had punched (with her bare hand no less!) the metallic construct with enough force to send it toppling over before twirling the spear she had acquired twice in her hands before launching it at Guiche. She was no fool, had her familiar intended to end Guiche's life she would have done so and it was only through her mercy that her classmate still lived.

How the hell was she meant to control someone like that? A familiar was meant to be able to do all of the meinal jobs for the master and be there with them through life until one of the parties passed. That seemed all well and good for a standard familiar but this? THIS! It would be like telling her mother to do the laundry and Brimir forbid telling Karin of the Heavy Wind to do some maid's task. Sure that was on the extreme side of things but the similarities could not be avoided.

Just what was her familiar?

…

 **Hope you enjoyed. We've all seen/read the duel however many times and I just wanted to try and shake it up a bit, hopefully it turned out alright.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Erza watched as the crowd faded away, gossiping amongst one another about her no doubt. She had been mindful of her display however, more for Siesta and the rest of the staff at the academy then herself. Having been told that possessing magic made you nobility, a notion which she found preposterous, Erza had decided not to utilize her own magic in this battle.

Sure, it would have been nice to see the look on their faces when she Requipped, bringing forth a piece of her armoury to battle the snobby brat in front of her but to what avail. By having fought the way that she had, if she could even call it a fight, she had shown the students here that just because the commoners didn't have magic did not mean that they were not powerful.

Erza turned around, intent on finding Siesta and informing her of the outcome only to find a female student standing in her path. She stood there with her hands on her hips and biting at her inner lip as if trying to solve the hardest puzzle she had encountered. Her eyes were sharpened as if trying to incinerate Erza with her mind which made the Fairy Tail mage wonder whether the person who had challenged her to a duel was a good friend to them.

"Can I help you?" asked Erza of the pink haired girl before her.

"My...my…" they started, shaking slightly as if trying to muster the courage to speak. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière and you are my Familiar!"

Seconds ticked by with nothing more than the sound of the breeze following the declaration. Nearby, Kirche and Tabitha were watching on and mentally preparing themselves to act if the maid who had defeated Kirche decided to assault their classmate. A simply 'Levitation' spell would be enough to separate them but both knew that if the need to act came then their timing would need to be precise. Informing a human, a powerful one at that, that they were a familiar...neither of them could dare contemplate what was going through the scarlet haired woman's mind. The chances of her simply accepting such a position was not likely but would they react in any other way other than violence, they were about to find out.

"What's a familiar?"

Not surprisingly, of the three female students, it was only Tabitha who remained standing, the other two having found themselves completely at a loss at the response and collapsing face first into the ground. It seemed as if there was much explanation to be done.

…

"I see, so the spell you use selects seemingly at random for a creature across seemingly anywhere to be your partner for life," summarized Erza, her hand cusping her chin in thought while she closed her eyes. In front of her, Tabitha, Kirche and Louise stood in silence awaiting her response. After a quick round of introductions, they had done their best to break down the ritual in as much detail as they could and gone so far as to show both Sylphid and Flame to help prove specific points. Now the ball was in Erza's court.

Time continued to tick by until Erza's eyes snapped open. "I refuse."

"What!" screeched Louise. "Never in the history of the ritual has the familiar summoned refused to be bonded to their master."

"How many summoned familiars can talk?" asked Erza, silencing Louise who had tears starting to form in her eyes. "Both of your familiars, while impressive summons, are both incapable of speech much like with what I am assuming the rest of your class. How can a familiar refuse if it cannot even state that it wishes so?"

The three students were taken back from Erza's words as they quickly realized that they had never seen the ritual from the other side. "Who is to say that your salamander did not have a family of it's own, perhaps even a young family that will perish without the protection of Flame? How does it feel, knowing that such a rare creature's offspring very well die because of what you have done?"

Kirche find herself quivering slightly at the verbal tongue lashing she was receiving. Today's classes had all been cancelled for their year level so that they could spend time getting to know their familiars. But what had she been going to ask of her familiar? Did you have any family? Did I just doom your children? Are you happy to be with me?

They may not have been the questions she had originally been intending to ask of Flame but she would definitely do so now.

"Your family?" asked Tabitha, her words as composed as ever.

Erza nodded her head before speaking. "If I was able to get here somehow, that means that there has to be a way to get back. They'll be waiting for me."

"Tell me where they are!"

"Louise?" said Kirche, confused by the Zero's outburst.

"As a daughter of the Vallière family, I promise to provide protection and funding to your family if you promise to stay by my side."

Erza stood there, looking down on Louise who still had tears in her eyes. Unfortunately, she was not in a caring mood. "Fairy Tail does not need your money," she scoffed.

"Fairy Tale?" repeated Kirche, wondering what children's stories had to do with anything.

Erza lifted up her sleeve to the point where she was showing off her guild emblem, wearing it with pride. "Fairy Tail is the name of my guild. It is my home and it does not need protection."

"Pardon me for stating this but that's a very bold declaration," said Kirche. "I mean, at the end of the day even though you're incredibly powerful by your own right, if you insult or get in the path of the wrong noble they will do all that they can to see your guild destroyed. We're just students, nobody in your guild would be able to stand up to a full fledged mage."

The way that Erza's fist started shaking made Kirche immediately suspicious that she had said the wrong thing. It was then that the pressure started to form. Kirche had never felt anything like it before and had no real way to describe it. It was as if Erza's spiritual essence was trying to overpower her. What was this? Was she shaking? Was she afraid of this maid?

It was then that the pressure faded and Kirche found herself drawing a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. "Many mages have challenged us before, all have failed," stated Erza as calmly as each of her other statements had been, as if nothing had happened at all between her and Kirche in that moment. It was then that Kirche realized that that was all it had been, a moment. A fleeting second which had seemed to stretch on for far longer than it should have.

Was that something of a spiritual passion for her guild, a powerful flame stronger than any magic she had seen to make her break out into a cold sweat with nothing but a look?

Of course, Kirche's mind swiftly delved into what other looks Erza could give her with such fiery passion before being pushed to the back of her mind. This was not the time or place for such thoughts.

"What now?" asked Tabitha, returning to the point at hand.

"I will tell you what now," said a new voice entering the fray.

"Professor Colbert," said Louise recognizing the academy teacher.

"Excuse my intrusion, but the headmaster wishes to speak with you in his office," said Colbert, his eyes focused on Erza. The member of Fairy Tail knew that it wasn't a request.

…

Headmaster Osmond took a puff from his pipe as he eyed the maid before him. Or at least the woman who was dressed as a maid. Unlike most of the magic wielding staff, he himself knew that their school wouldn't operate half as well as it would without the help of the people behind the scenes. He had taken the time to know all of the staff by name and face, yet this was a face he had no knowledge of.

"First and foremost, I wish to thank you for not ending the life of one of my students," declared Osmond. "For someone of your skill and ability I imagine it would have been quite simple."

"I only wished to demonstrate my skill and save my friend from an unjust punishment, life should never be wasted on such trivial things," stated Erza with her arms folded, looking as imposing as possible. For good reason as well, not only was she in the presence of the academy's headmaster but it seemed every teacher in the faculty was in attendance.

Professor Colbert cleared his throat before speaking. "Your skill was quite impressive, but it has understandably put us all on edge. As much weight as you believe your words carry, we still believe that you are too dangerous to keep on the school premise."

"Which raises an unfortunate point," said Osmond. "Why are you on the premise? Choose your answer wisely."

Erza quickly understood his words; he knew that she wasn't a member of staff and as such was trespassing. Thankfully she had gotten a fair understanding of the actual situation from the three female students earlier and there was no better answer than the truth. "Louise, the pink haired girl studying here, claims that she summoned me here through what she and her friends described as the 'Spring Summoning Ritual.'"

There was a brief pause before an outcry erupted from the staff who had not been informed of the situation. Erza took it all in stride as she did in all of these sorts of situation before Professor Colbert came to her aid. "Everyone, please," he said loudly in order to gain their attention. "As absurd as it sounds, Miss Vallière did summon a human in yesterday's ritual however she was badly injured and couldn't have taken part in the duel today. Your cover story is well thought out but even though the life threatening injuries had been healed there is no way that that woman could be roaming the castle."

"Actually, that is where you are wrong," said Osmond as he took a sigh. "One of our medical staff came to me this morning and informed me that a patient had gone missing in the night, one who should have not been able to do so on their own merit. Tell me miss, is this person you?"

"Correct, from what I can tell at the moment there is a tear in my left shoulder muscle and at least two of my ribs are broken. There is likely some internal damage as well as I have found myself struggling for breath on more than one occasion," listed Erza casually.

"After this conversation we will have you return to the medical ward to continue with your treatment," said Osmond. "It would be unjust of us to allow you to continue to walk around with such injuries and perhaps even more."

"The fact she can walk at all is astounding, let alone fight," mumbled one of the teachers under their breath.

"Still, we need proof that she is a familiar?" said another one of the faculty.

"Do you mean this?" said Erza as she lifted up her left hand to show the runes that had been etched into her flesh. The whispers stopped then and there. "I awoke with it and I have no knowledge of how to get rid of them."

"These runes," said Colbert as he edged closer in order to gain a better look. "They are familiar runes, of that there is no doubt, but they look odd for some reason…"

He trailed off and Erza saw no point in to pressure him for more information. She had done all that she could have without resorting to some manner of violence or threatening of bodily harm and now they needed time to deliberate. "I believe Siesta is awaiting for you outside, please instruct her to lead you back to the hospital ward to continue with your treatment. As you understand we have much to discuss but please be assured that until your injuries are fully cured you are a guest of this establishment. I hope you don't do anything to make us regret our decision."

"Understood," said Erza with a small bow before turning her back on the faculty and heading towards the exit. Opening the door, she found a small smile adorning her face to see Siesta standing there giving her a worrisome look. Her smile didn't last long however as she saw just who was standing next to the maid.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," said Siesta. "By chance Erza, would you happen to know why Miss Vallière has been standing beside me?"

Erza couldn't help but feel that that was what made Siesta uncomfortable. With the class system as it was, it wasn't like she could strike up a casual conversation with the noble beside her and from what she had seen of Louise thus far is that she wouldn't even give the maid the time of day. Since they had both seemingly been waiting for her without actually knowing what the other was waiting for Erza could imagine that the silence would have been more than a tad awkward.

"Siesta, would you please escort me to the hospital ward? The headmaster's asked that I get my injuries checked out," Erza asked of the maid.

"Of course," said Siesta with a light bow.

"I'm coming to!" declared Louise, voicing her opinion as her hands scrunched up into fists, hating being ignored.

"Do as you will," said Erza before gesturing for Siesta to lead the way. The maid dipped her head lightly before doing as instructed, Erza and Louise following her. Erza had a feeling that this girl, regardless of what she said, was still determined to have her as a familiar. Frankly, she wasn't keen on the idea and her priority was returning home.

Having seen the second moon outside hadn't terrified her half as much as it would have others, predominately the time spent in Edolas secured that. The world in which she had originally been unable to utilize her own magical reserves was a far scarier experience. Having to fight herself had also been the most surreal experience she could imagine. Summoned to another world and subsequently saved from a dragon, yea, definitely been through worse.

However, she was afraid of what had happened to the rest of the guild members who had been on Tenrou island. Ultimately it was Louise's spell that had spared her from Acnologia's breath attack. She had been looking skyward when the vision of destruction rained down at them. She sincerely doubted that even had they had the time to cast protective magic that it would have done nothing for their cause. It was just that powerful.

She was glad that neither of the two girls beside her had noticed her involuntary shudder.

The closest thing she had to compare Acnologia's attack to was that of Jupiter, the magical cannon which had threatened to destroy the guild in the battle against Phantom Lord. Compared to Acnologia however, it was barely worth mentioning. What was there for her to go back to?

Mirajane.

Laxus.

Master.

Lucy.

Gray.

Natsu.

So many more.

Gone.

It was gut wrenching and she was desperately doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She had stood there, alongside her family and ready to die alongside them. The more she dwelled on the matter the more her emotions began to boil and it was only Louise speaking up that prevented her thoughts from mentally crashing. "What did the headmaster say?" she asked, her tone far more restrained than their prior conversation.

"He's instructed me to spend some time recovering," answered Erza. "Until I am fully recovered than I am still considered a guest, regardless of what my future in this school is."

"I see," said a deflated Louise, her gaze shifting to her feet. Erza could tell that something was wrong and came to a stop, grabbing Louise by the scruff of the collar and halting her in her tracks. Her startled yelp alerted Siesta who had been leading them to come to a stop only to find Erza lifting Louise a foot off the ground. Siesta's first thought was that after having heard of how Erza had defeated Guiche in battle (it was amazing how quickly that word had spread about the building) that something violent was going to happen.

She opened her mouth to voice her protest, firstly of the complete and utter disrespect of a noble and secondly for seeming about to harm a student. While the first was well and true, the second never came as Erza spoke. "Siesta, is there somewhere nearby where I can speak with Louise in private?"

Siesta could only nod before leading them onward, Louise squealing and doing her best to break free of the grip which held her to no avail.

…

Louise didn't have to wait long before touching the floor again. Unfortunately so it was in such a state in which no noble should be handled as she was unceremoniously tossed to the floor of the storage room Siesta had led them to. It was small, cold, cramped and smelled of cleaning products but compared to the menace standing before her it meant nothing. "What was that for you degenerate?"

"Why are you upset?" asked Erza, ignoring Louise's question entirely.

"Because I was mishandled by…"

"Why are you upset?" said Erza once more, cutting through Louise's automated response without hesitation.

"I'm upset because you…"

"Why are you upset?" responded Erza once more.

"I'm upset because of you!" yelled Louise, momentarily grateful Erza had secluded them to an isolated area as if expecting her outburst. "Every spell I've ever been taught has exploded. Every time I tried something it exploded. My family think I have no capacity of being a mage and despite the fact I've been top of my class academically I've never performed a spell right! That was until yesterday. I performed the summoning ritual and you came forth. You are the proof that I am not a failure as a mage, that I have potential to cast successful magic."

Tears at some point had begun to stream down her face but Louise was more startled by the gentle hand that rubbed against her cheek, a single thumb wiping away at her tears. "Louise, let me tell you of some of the magic I have fought in the last year alone, magic that others were wielding in order to injure if not kill me," said Erza, her voice softening a fraction. "Don't interrupt me during this because these are things you need to hear."

Louise couldn't help but swallow a lump that had formed in her throat before rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. She had always been taught that those with magic were born to rule, it was their right. Here however was her summon who had just blatantly admitted that she had fought mages on multiple occasions. She had spent much time in her lessons absorbing as much information as she could and she knew this was something she had to pay attention to. "I fought a man named Jose, a member of the Ten Wizard Saints who could create all we could refer to as 'Shades' with his magic. Ghost like figures that couldn't be fought but could sap your strength away just by touching you. I fought a man named Midnight, someone who could use his magic to contort and constrict my very own armour, choking me out with the very clothes I was wearing. Only yesterday, before you summoned me I fought against Azuma, someone who could manipulate trees, he could shift and manipulate the branches of any tree he contacted to the point where he could imbue it with such magical force it would explode."

"Now tell me, do any of these kinds of magic sound familiar to you?" Erza asked at the end of her monologue. She had used those three battles that still stood out to her as some of the toughest che had encountered. It was probably better for now that she worked alongside people who could consume, fire, air and metal for the meantime. The silence meanwhile was enough to figure out Louise's answer. "Magic isn't bound by any set rules or guidelines. I've seen hundreds if not thousands of different kinds of magic users, each with abilities as unique as themselves. At the moment, you are trying to force your magic to do something that you are not attuned to. Never force it, simply find the magic that best suits you."

Erza left at those words, allowing her advice to linger as she resumed her journey to the medical bay and subsequently leaving Louise in the storage room. Louise mindset however was rapidly dissolving as several clues clicked into point.

The familiar she had summoned fought magic users unlike any that used the four elements.

Thus, her familiar fought different kinds of magical users.

What other creature could use different kinds of magic to humans?

Elves.

Her familiar fought elves.

Her familiar fought elves constantly by the sounds of it.

The kinds of magic she had described at first could be seen as nothing more than fiction but the way she had described each could not have been done without immense rehearsal, something she didn't assume Erza had in her.

Then what of the guild, Fairy Tail? If Erza fought for them and she herself fought elves on a regular basis, just what kind of other monstrosities did this guild produce. If she was willing to fight an elf, no wonder she wasn't afraid of any mage making a move on her guild while she was gone. What if all of them fought elves on a regular basis? These were creatures most people feared from just the name alone, yet this guild, this guild of fighting commoners seemed content to fight a battle that could never be won.

Yet Erza was here.

Erza had fought elves.

Erza had fought elves and survived.

In a battle with an elf however it was a certainty that one party would die.

Which lead to a simple conclusion.

Erza had killed elves.

The familiar, of which she had summoned, was part of a guild that not only fought elves but came out victorious in combat. Erza had killed elves.

Erza hadn't feared fighting Guiche in the courtyard before. She had fought monsters that even the strongest of mages dared not think about. Guiche as may have well been made of paper compared to what she had fought before.

Again, she couldn't help but think just what kind of monster she had summoned.

…

 **Hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Erza sat on the assigned bed as the nurse unwrapped the bandages that had covered her wounds, wounds that were now all but gone. Sure there was still some stiffness in her muscles but that was more for having been restricted to the room for the past forty eight hours. She had yet to hear any word from the principal of the school but now that she had recovered (she had to admit the healing magic of this world was the second best she had ever seen, Wendy still held the top spot) she expected to hear from the administration soon as to what her fate was.

Thankfully she hadn't spent all of this time simply sitting around allowing the doctors to do their work. At first she had requested history books and recent newspapers so that she could better understand the state of this world. It was then that she had discovered a very distinct problem in that she was unable to read the language of this world. Part of her then questioned whether or not it was a different language as well she was speaking but was unaware of it. Perhaps when she had been branded as a familiar whilst unconscious it had rewired her mind in such a way that she could understand the language. While that was merely a hypothesis she had no way to prove, whatever had happened had not allowed her to be able to concept written script.

Thus she had had to use an alternative method to gain information. Thankfully, Siesta had been able to provide. As word had spread around the academy, the staff had erupted in cheers at the mere thought that a commoner had not only dared to accept a challenge laid to them by a noble but had come out victorious. They had also been informed of the time in which Erza had been victorious but merely assumed that, as with the way that most information passed through via word of mouth, it had been elaborated. Severely in this case.

Siesta meanwhile had believed every word of it and whenever she had gotten a spare moment had been by Erza's side. Erza had found the mage a world of knowledge and she had absorbed as much as humanly possible in the small amounts of time they shared before Siesta was inevitably ushered out by the nurse. During that time she had managed to garner hold of a map and an explanation of the state of the world.

Her musings were shattered as the door to the infirmary swung open, revealing the headmaster striding forward, Louise by his side. Unlike the other times when she had seen the second year student, Louise seemed almost timid as if afraid of something. Erza couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to her since the time she had spent in the infirmary. "I hope the day finds you well," said the Headmaster as he stopped a handful of feet away from where Erza was being treated.

"Well enough, I do have to say your staff have done their job quite well," said Erza, the nurse treating her briefly thanking her for the comment before resuming her work. "From what I can tell of my own body, a majority of the damage that I had taken and the rest will recover on their own in time."

"That is good to hear," said Osmond as he stroked his beard. "Now that you have recovered, what is it that you plan to do?"

Erza couldn't help but notice at those words how Louise reacted, her eyes had a spark of hope to them that was almost immediately dispersed when they made eye contact. Erza had the feeling that Louise still wished that she would become her familiar. Sadly though she had no such plans.

Mostly because she had no real plans at all.

During her treatment she had contemplated her next move. By all means she wished to go home, back to Earthland and back to Fairy Tail. There was still those who had not been on Tenroujima when Acnologia had attacked but she couldn't help but wonder what they would do with the knowledge that so many of their members had passed. Were they to disband the guild she would not be surprised; trying to stick together and live the same as it once had been would be more than difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. They were Fairy Tail...and they would live on.

Still, it left her in something of a predicament. She had been summoned to this world via a one way spell, finding a way back would be challenging in its own right. From the maps she had gotten off of Siesta, it was a big world she had found herself in and she had no real idea where to start or if it was a fruitless endeavour in the first place.

"If I may offer a suggestion," said Headmaster Osmond, taking Erza's silence for uncertainty. "I sense at the moment what you are lacking is information. Miss Vallière here has informed me that she summoned you from a far off land where you fought alongside your brothers and sisters in arms."

Erza bit at the inside of her lip as she waited for the Headmaster to continue. The one thing she had been certain not to say anything about was the fact she was from another world, hence she expected that some assumptions would be made on everyone else's behalf to fill in the gaps. Osmond stroked at his beard before continuing and Erza couldn't help but wonder what deduction he himself had come up with. "Despite the knowledge that you have imparted on the students in regards to your guild, none of the senior faculty have heard of your establishment. This may indeed simply be due to secrecy, your customers are on a need to know basis perhaps. I will not pry any further."

"Thank you," said Erza as the nurse finished unwrapping the bandages and walking away, allowing Erza to stretch her arms over her head. "The fact of the matter is that when looking at your maps I couldn't help but notice how unfamiliar everything looked. All of the maps provided to me cut off at the Germanian border. I feel that my homeland may be far beyond that area." A couple planets further on perhaps but still the truth regardless. "Might there be a map of the world located nearby."

"I'm afraid not," said Headmaster Osmond with a shake of his head. "There are dangers beyond those lands which even the most fearless of borders shudder thinking about, not to mention all of the dangers that are yet to be discovered. If your home truly lies on the other side of the world your journey will be a long and perilous one."

"By chance however, if you were considering staying around a little while longer, I have a proposition for you."

Erza couldn't help raise an eyebrow at the comment as the Headmaster directed his next comment towards the young girl behind him. "Miss Valiere, would you allow us a moment of privacy?"

"O-Of course Headmaster," said Louise as she quickly scurried away, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so. Erza couldn't help but wonder why the pink haired student had come here in the first place, having spoken not a single word to her and had been frightened to meet her gaze.

"So what's this proposition?" asked Erza as soon as the infirmary door had shut behind Louise.

Osmond allowed himself to take a deep breath before speaking. "The position I have is one of great prestige and allows me to keep up to date with all the latest news and rumours. Political plays here, land expansions there, mostly unimportant things that hold no interest to me. What does interest me greatly is the safety of my students."

Erza's eyes sharpened as she gave a slow nod gesturing for Osmond to continue. "While rumours and speculation at this point, there is word in the political landscape that the world is going to shift. Dramatically, I might add. While I rarely dabble in the world of rumours, there are some things that one must be prepared for even if the preparation turns out to be for naught. I ask of you, would you be willing to help me prepare for the worst?"

Needless to say, Erza was interested.

…

Louise found her foot tapping as she waited impatiently outside the infirmary. She was worried with what the Headmaster was asking of her summoned familiar. Well, familiar in title only. Everybody else's familiar had bonded to them as they should, the creatures brought forth from all corners of the globe effectively harmonizing with their summoner. She sincerely doubted that she would be able to get any such response out of Erza.

At the same time however, she didn't want to be seen as a failure.

She had finally cast her first piece of successful magic, even though it created an all too familiar explosion she had brought forth a creature of immense power in Erza. Yet there in itself lay the greatest of problems. Erza had not warmed up to her in any sense of the word, though the interactions they had had up to this point were minimal and a touch hostile in her opinion she wanted to connect with the warrior. The problem though was how?

She had already ruled out the idea of treating Erza in the same way that any other familiar should be treated. On those lines she had also forbade herself from thinking of the scarlet haired fighter as being a simple servant. If she didn't fear elves then there was no way a second year student would even mildly intimidate her. So it only made sense that she treated Erza with the respect that she deserved, provided she could gain the confidence to stand in the same space as her without her eyes focusing on anywhere but Erza.

Treating a commoner with the same respect one would show a fellow noble, it was an absurd thought to say the least. Yet it was one that she was willing to try. She had already had a spare bed put in her room, making the space quite cramped but at the same time it effectively what was required. It only made sense as the person who brought Erza to the academy that she share the space that the school provided her. It was a simple gesture and one that she hoped she could present to Erza without stuttering over her words and making an even bigger fool of herself.

The door to the infirmary opened and Louise had to prevent herself from making any sort of undignified noise in order to maintain her dignity and not show how deeply she had been lost in her thoughts. As Erza stepped out, followed by Headmaster Osmond, Louise did her best to maintain as straight a posture as physically possible. If she was going to request that Erza room with her then she would give her the respect she deserves, not as a commoner but as someone whose power alone made them worthy of respect.

Because only Founder Brimir knew what would happen to her if she didn't show utmost respect towards someone who killed elves for a living.

"Miss Vallière," said Headmaster Osmond, Louise shifting her gaze from her summoned familiar to the head of the academy. "It was brought my attention by some of the staff that you had an extra bed installed in your room. I take it then that you have no quarrel about Erza sharing your quarters until other arrangements can be made?"

Louise swallowed a lump in her throat at just what the Headmaster had implied. The fact that he knew about the extra bed simply showed that he paid a great deal of attention to what happened within the walls of the academy. Due to this she had successfully gotten out of potentially shaming her name by botching her attempt at recruiting Erza to stay in the same confines as herself. The other part of the request however had made it clear that it was only a temporary stay.

Still, it was better than nothing. "It is no trouble Headmaster," she said.

"Very good, if you would like to show Erza here to your quarters it would be most appreciated. Just remember that it is a school day and while you have shown great loyalty to the person you have summoned you will have to return to your classes as soon as you can," instructed Osmond. "Erza, I will have Siesta come by just before classes finish for the day so that you can prepare for the students 'extracurricular' activities." Louise couldn't help but notice the way in which Osmond had said the word extracurricular. There was far too much malice in it for her liking but she knew it was not her place to question what the Headmaster had meant. "Will you need anything for your 'lesson?'

Again that menacing tone was present.

"I'll pick up my armour on the way," said Erza nonchalantly.

Louise could only describe the sensation building within her as dread.

…

"Do you have any idea why Professor Colbert told us to go to the courtyard?" Kirche asked of Tabitha, knowing full well that she was unlikely to get any sort of answer. It had been announced at the end of class that all students were to meet in the designated area for an extracurricular activity but nobody seemed to truly know what that meant.

"Unsure," said Tabitha who for once didn't have her nose buried in a book, something which made Kirche contemplate things a but more. Regardless of the scenario, Tabitha seemed to almost always be reading but since she wasn't at this moment, Kirche had to assume that something big was about to happen. Tabitha didn't know what, but it was clearly something that warranted all of her attention.

As soon as they stepped in the courtyard, Kirche knew that Tabitha's feeling had been spot on.

It was amazing how a change of clothes could change the appearance of someone. While Kirche had seen Erza in her armour once before it had been when she had been badly damaged and in need of medical assistance. Now though she stood there, her armour glistening and with a sword planted in the ground before her. Her scarlet hair waved back and forth as a gentle breeze blew through the courtyard. Her composure as the students flocked forward, albeit a bit nervously, was rigid and firm showing no signs of worry or intimidation.

It made Kirche's heart beat a touch faster. Quite frankly, this was the kind of woman that she aspired to be...only instead of armour and sword it would be a robe and wand.

"Students," said Erza in a firm tone, silencing the whispering that had been going on amongst Louise's peers as they stopped and presented themselves before the armour wearing warrior. "Your Headmaster has given me free reign to give you an extra lesson for the day. Today however will be the only day that is mandatory, any future lessons you will have the choice of whether or not you wish to participate."

"What can you teach us?" asked one member of the crowd though the glare that Erza sent in that direction silenced any follow up statement.

"Let me tell you something of the battles of mages," said Erza as her eyes scanned the crowd in front of her. "After the initial action, all that occurs is reaction and counteracting. You cast a spell, your opponent blocks a spell or is defeated by it. Likewise, when a spell is cast in your direction you need to be able to react in such a way that it gives you the advantage, whether through surprise or initiation. Is anybody here able to cast fire magic?"

Needless to say, very few people were eager to take the offer to step forward. Kirche was the exception to this and while her small timid steps betrayed her normally calm facade, she made her way to the front and stood in front of her peers. "Tell me, what is the most common offensive fire spell?"

"Fireball," answered Kirche.

"Now, how many times do you think you can cast it?" asked Erza next and Kirche couldn't help but be taken back by the question. "Stamina is the key to any confrontation and your magical core is no different, it needs to be treated as the same you would any other muscle of your body. If you go beyond your ability then you risk damaging your core, perhaps even irreparably."

"How would you know?" asked another voice in the crowd, immediately regretting their decision as Erza glanced in that direction and silenced those in her line of sight.

"A dozen times, I could cast Fireball a dozen times," declared Kirche, garnering Erza's attention once more. Honestly she had no real idea on how many times she could cast the spell but she knew that she had to give some type of answer. Was she being over generous in her assumption? Was she being humble and could cast more? She honestly didn't know.

"Tell me, how many of those would you need to take me down?" asked Erza.

Kirche felt herself freeze a little inside as she contemplated the situation in front of her. She had seen Erza not only humiliate Guiche but had done so in a matter of seconds. Her pride however demanded that she give a respectable answer and even if she was proven wrong then she could see it as a lesson if nothing else. "One," she declared.

"Very well then," said Erza shifting her stance slightly. "Cast your spell."

Kirche found herself sweating as she contemplated just what was asked of her. Lifting up her wand, she couldn't help but wonder just what sort of predicament she would find herself in in only a matter of seconds. She could already imagine the feel of sharp steel pressed against her neck as Erza dodged the oncoming attack and closed the proximity between them with a speed she hadn't ever contemplated possible. Still though, she had to act.

"Fireball!"

The scorching ball of flames shot forward and Kirche awaited her fate. Unfortunately it seemed all of her assumptions on just what would happen were completely dismissed as her attack struck true, colliding directly with Erza's chestplate. Despite having enough brute force behind it to knock over a tree, Erza stayed rooted to the spot as the attack dispersed off of her armour before fizzling out into nothing.

"What?" questioned almost the entire group in a single moment.

"I have fought both with and against mages for a long time," stated Erza, brushing off the attack as if it were nothing. She had still felt it by all means but compared to the heat Natsu could produce and the blows she had taken over time it simply didn't have any impact. "The battles never finished in a single strike and the fights could last far longer than you could contemplate. Mages would cast spell after spell, both offensively and defensively knowing that they only stopped when the enemy was defeated or they themselves had fallen. There was no honour, no pride, simply victory or defeat. Twelve spells of that strength, you'd last a minute at best."

Kirche felt the grip on her wand tighten as her heartbeat accelerated slightly as Erza chastised her. "My lessons will teach you the most basic of lessons, survival. Today is mandatory and anybody who thinks differently can volunteer to show everyone just what I can do with a sword."

There was a collective shudder and all of the students knew that whatever they were about to be subjected to it was better than the alternate option. "Now," said Erza, her eyes narrowing. "Let's begin."

…

 **Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Louise found herself wincing ever so slightly as she dipped her feet into the heat of the bath. She, along with possibly every other student who had taken part in Erza's sadistic training, had opted to rinse the sweat and filth off of their bodies after the sickening session. She meant sickening as well, more than a handful of students had ended up emptying their stomachs all over the courtyard.

Louise for one had never felt so physically exhausted in her life and as her body dropped beneath the water she temporarily lacked the strength to wash the grime from her body, her arms feeling like lead. "Here," said Tabitha, the soft spoken mage ushering Louise to show the blue haired girl her back. While she said nothing and simply obeyed, Louise could not have been more thankful at that moment in time as Tabitha began to wash away the dirt.

Louise took this moment to cast her gaze over the other students who had sought to cleanse themselves. Each of them had dirt covering some part of their body and a few scrapes and light cuts would likely be stinging due to the heat of the water. There was also an amazing lack of sound, nobody seemed to be mingling and chatting with one another. She didn't blame them; having become physically exhausted after the lesson of a commoner wasn't the best conversation starter.

"Your familiar, strong," said Tabitha, her voice barely covering the lack of distance between herself and Louise.

Louise couldn't help but chuckle lightly before responding. "I did ask for a powerful familiar didn't I," she said recalling the words she had used to bring Erza to her side. "The problem though is that she won't listen to me. Everybodies familiar does exactly what their master tells them, while Erza…"

"Is human," said Tabitha, injecting her own ending to Louise's rant. Louise herself took the time to contemplate the words Tabitha had just provided. Compared to say Montmorancy's frog, Erza was a far more intimidating familiar to have. Not only that however but the thoughts that could be processed by a human were far greater than a lowly amphibian. It was commonly believed that when a familiar was bounded to a mage that their intelligence was raised moderately in order to be able to understand the commands given to them by their master. Erza however didn't need that boost of intelligence as she could already understand her words. Could the reason her summoned familiar didn't obey her command was because of that simple bit of the spell seemingly being neglected or overlooked due to her intelligence?

As much as she hated it she could see why it would make sense.

Biting at the inside of her lip did nothing to help her plight before she let out a sigh of frustration. "What will you do?" asked Tabitha, asking the question that Louise needed to hear.

Louise sighed once more but this one was more from despair and exhaustion as opposed to frustration. "I don't know Tabitha," she said honestly. "It wasn't meant to be this hard. A familiar is meant to obey their master but Erza has barely even been around me long enough to have a proper conversation. Not only that but she's a peasant and at the end of the day we're nobles. Even if she doesn't respect me as a master she should respect me because of my heritage. That though doesn't even seem to bother her and I get the feeling that this is because wherever she's from the mages there don't get the recognition that they deserve."

Tabitha remained quiet as she scrubbed at Louise's back, taking in her words. She often felt pity for the member of the Vallière family, to struggle each day and to be verbally put down after her failures time and time again. Yet her pity turned to admiration regarding how she never allowed the bullying to prevent her from pushing forward, attempting to complete the task ahead regardless of her lack of success.

"Tabitha," said Louise, garnering the blue haired mage's attention once more. "Have you seen Kirche?"

"No."

…

Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst strode through the hallway, temporarily ignoring the mildly pungent smell radiating from her body. While the odor demanded that she bathe herself posthaste the beating in her chest demanded something else of her at this time.

She had been unsure of her feelings earlier in the day but now she knew it to be true. Kirche the Ardent was her runic name and for good reason, her passion drove her forward each and every day. Most times however her passion fleeted from flame to flame, the number of men she had enchanted with her womanly ways had entertained her to no regard but she knew now where her heart lay.

She couldn't believe though that her heart had fallen for another woman.

Even before she had felt her emotions wane as she tried her best to not come to this conclusion. Now though she knew that such thoughts had been pointless from the very beginning. It had been the spell she had cast at Erza that had pushed her over the edge. The way normal flames had had no effect upon the commoner only meant that the flames of passion and love could mark her.

Having made her way to Louise's room where she knew that Erza would be staying, she allowed a small smile to spread across her face as she reached for the door handle. "Honey," she cried out as she opened up the door and barged her way in without having knocked or announced her arrival in any way, shape or form.

She wished that she had.

Erza looked up from her position at the foot of the bed, her armour having been replaced with a set of purple pyjamas. What was more surprising than the change of clothes (Kirche didn't even know that sleepwear for women came in such a form) was the way Erza was sitting with her knees brought up to her chest and her head hanging low, scarlet hair covering her features. At least they were until she looked in her direction and Kirche could see unshed tears swelling in Erza's eyes.

Kirche honestly had no idea how to initially react to the situation in front of her. All she had seen of Erza thus far had been of her had been in her maid outfit and her armour and in both times she had seemed untouchable; a radiant warrior priestess always prepared to do battle at a moments notice.

This, this was something else.

"Kirche?" said Erza as she spotted the fire wielding student before rubbing at her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"Are...are you alright?" asked Kirche as she clutched at the robe around her chest. She wanted to be compassionate in this moment of vulnerability but why did the scarlet haired woman look so darn cute? Before Erza could even contemplate answering, Kirche raised up a hand to stop her in that moment. "Wait right there!"

The command was met with confusion as Kirche rushed out the door, leaving Erza sitting there wondering what exactly had just happened. Thankfully the Germanian native didn't have to go far before finding who she needed. "Maid!" she shouted from across the hall, gaining the attention of the woman in question. "I require wine, two goblets, a fruit bowl, candles and go to my bedroom and grab both my nightgown and the perfume located on my bedside cabinet."

As soon as her orders were given, Kirche ran back off to Louise's room, leaving Siesta standing there wondering why Miss Zerbst wanted all these things brought to Miss Vallière's room.

…

Louise walked towards her room in the gown that had been provided for her since her clothes, along with everyone's clothes, had needed to be cleansed of the filth that their 'training' had caused. Leaving their garments with the commoners was the best for the moment.

As she approached her room, turning around the last corner she noticed that her door was open. That alone made her a little bit wary. The fact that there was noise coming from her room, laughter of all things, caught her completely off guard. The final few feet were taken much quicker than the rest of her journey had until she stood in the doorway only to find…something which she momentarily could not make heads or tails of.

A bottle of wine lay empty on the floor as Kirche sat with her back to the wall in nothing but a dressing gown. In her lap was the head of the maid Siesta, the woman seemingly nuzzling into Kirche's thigh to make herself more comfortable. On the table was a half eaten array of fruit accompanied by a second bottle of wine (this one only half full) and a goblet that had been put to the side so Erza could reenact her story with the use of her hands.

"...so I have her pinned to the wall and she's telling me that she can end the lives of my friends remotely, a single thought was all that was needed for her to kill those I hold dear," exclaimed Erza.

"What did you do?" asked Kirche after taking another sip of wine, completely imbued in the story.

A smirk spread across Erza's face. "I point my blade to her face and boldly proclaim that if she chooses this path then those whose blood she spilled would be avenged by my hand."

"She killed your friends!" exclaimed Siesta as she sat upright with such speed she nearly lost her balance, righting herself before she fell in the opposite direction.

"That's horrible," said Kirche as she lifted her free hand to cover her mouth.

"No, in her panic seeing me so close to ending her life I knew that she was bluffing," stated Erza.

"So what did you do?" asked Siesta.

"I punched her in the face and knocked her out."

The casual way in which Erza said those words caused both Siesta and Kirche to snigger and giggle at the mere thought of the scenario in which Erza had described. It was also at this time that Siesta noticed that the other occupant of the room had arrived. "Miss Vallière!" she exclaimed as she got to her feet...or at least tried to, collapsing in a heap and successfully landing squarely on her bottom.

"Ah, well if it isn't Louise," said Kirche, holding out her goblet as an invitation of sorts. "Come now, Erza here was just telling us of some of the stories from her guild. It'd be rude not to listen in now wouldn't it."

Louise could feel her anger boiling at the fact that Kirche was inviting her into her own room where clearly a party had been going on. Her first instinct was to kick them all out but mere moments before she unleashed her fury upon the Germanian she stopped and contemplated the situation. She needed to get to know Erza better, that much was a given. Erza was telling stories, openly and while she rather the person she had summoned would tell her these events in a one on one setting, she had to admit she was still mildly terrified of the powerful woman.

Striding forward, she grabbed the fruit bowl before taking a seat on the other side of Kirche, Siesta leaning into the other woman's shoulder. Louise looked at the wine that Kirche was still offering her before taking a sip from the goblet, Kirche giving her a cheeky smile as she did so before the Ardent turned her attention back to Erza. "So, what story are you going to weave for us now?"

"Very well, let me tell you of the time I had to visit another guild, Blue Pegasus and when I first met their strongest fighter, Ichiya. It happened roughly three years ago…"

Louise didn't know how long she sat there as she listened to Erza's stories. At some stage Siesta had fallen asleep, her head resting in Kirche's lap and it was only when the maid had dozed off had they called it a night. Kirche had thanked them for the night before retreating to her own room, leaving them with the sleeping form of Siesta. Louise had wanted to wake the maid up and send her on her way but she couldn't help but look at Erza first. Having listened to the fierce fighter she wanted to see what she would do in this situation.

Surprisingly, without a word, she knelt down beside the sleeping form of Siesta and picked her up as if she weighed no more than a small dog before taking her to her bed. "Where are you going to sleep?" asked Louise as she prepared to crawl under her own covers.

"There's nothing wrong with a little skinship amongst friends," said Erza with a soft smile as she joined Siesta under the blankets, the maid swiftly clinging to her as if she were a giant teddy bear. Erza, not minding the bind she was in, used her free hand to run her fingers behind Siesta's ear multiple times eliciting a soft murmur of pleasure from the sleeping girl.

Louise, shocked by what she was seeing, drove her head beneath her blankets as she tried to cleanse her thoughts. Every part of her upbringing told her that what she had just witnessed was wrong. Yet why did she yearn to have that sort of familiarity with Erza that the maid had?

…

 **Hope you enjoyed**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Erza waited patiently in the courtyard, waiting to see just who would continue on from the lesson she had bestowed upon the students the prior day. If none of the students made themselves known she wouldn't be surprised, because of their status as nobles many of them had barely done more than the most basic of physical activity.

Erza scoffed at the thought once more. Noble, all because they were born with the ability to use magic. Such a thought was absurd and back in Fiore any person lording over the non-magical folk would find themselves treading a dangerous path. She herself had come across the scenario on more than one occasion while traversing across Earthland and on in each instance she had crushed those who would use their magic to oppress others.

She mused on the fact that she herself was hiding her magical abilities, choosing just to use her strength and skill thus far to get through day to day. She didn't want people to gather around her and for the staff here to treat her any differently because she possessed powers they did not. Erza knew that her ruse would not last forever and she had been grateful that this morning she had realized that nobody had questioned where her pyjamas had come from, having brought them out from her pocket dimension. Having awoken early and realized her mistake, she had left Siesta and Louise to rest before undressing her pyjamas, folding them and putting them by the side of her bed. No need for Louise to wonder anymore where her clothes had come from.

The majority of the day had been spent in the academy's library where she had explained to the faculty member that due to her home being so far away that despite them speaking the same language the written alphabet was different. It had taken a bit of scrounging around but Erza had managed to get her hands on some of the most simplest of books designed to help children learn how to read. It just went to show her drive by not feeling embarrassed at reading through teaching texts designed for kids a third of her age. Having spent a great deal of her youth teaching Natsu the basics of their literature she knew that in order to get anywhere in this world she would need to be able to read.

"Miss Erza," said somebody from nearby, causing her eyebrow to raise more so for the way she had been spoken to than the actual fact someone had approached her.

"Guiche," she said, noting the student in front of her. She took a quick glance at his appearance and saw that he was slightly shaking, possibly due to fear or intimidation by being in her presence. The fact that during the 'duel' they had had he had been overwhelmed in nothing more than a handful of seconds would likely have left such an impression on him.

Stealing his nerve, Guiche straightened his back and did his best to suppress the urge inside of him screaming to get away as quickly as humanly possible. "Miss Erza, I have come to you today to ask to learn the way of the sword," he said as he clenched his hands into fists by his sides.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, my father is a general and as such I was taught basic swordplay at a young age, perhaps out of my own desire more than necessity. Your strength and skill however has shown me that a noble like myself can indeed be bested by someone without the aid of magic and if by chance I were to lose my wand on the battlefield I wish to have the skill to defend myself."

"Guiche," said Erza, stopping the student before he had the chance to continue. "You stated that you wish to gain strength in order to defend yourself. Tell me, is that the only reason why?"

Sadly, Guiche could see the loaded question delivered before him as clear as day but had no backup plan to rely on, hence, he answered in the manner that he did. "No?"

"Very well, your reasons are your own but I will tell you the secret right here and now about the truth behind my strength," said Erza and she could see the boy's attention focus significantly. "I fight not for myself, but for my friends."

"Your friends?"

"Yes," said Erza as a satisfactory smile crossed her face as she pictured those she cared about in her mind. "The adventures we go on are often perilous and I know that I can trust those around me to keep my back protected and I theirs. I am strong because if I were to fail in protecting those around me, the shame would be greater than any pain inflicted upon myself."

"Ah, what a noble cause," said Guiche as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Not only are you both beautiful and strong but your resolution to help those around you radiates with a passion I've never seen."

"Flattery will not make me go easy on you," said Erza silencing Guiche in an instance. "I trust since you were able to make that golem the other day you'd be able to craft a sword." Guiche merely answered with actions as opposed to words and with a swish of his rose shaped wand he conjured forth a blade with it's point in the ground much like Erza's was. With a swift motion he pulled the sword from the ground and held it to the side in what Erza assumed had been more for dramatic flair than anything else.

"Please, teach me the way of the sword."

"Very well," said Erza as she reached down and gripped the handle of her own blade, the sunlight glistening off of the metal as the point was pulled from the surface. "Since you are so eager to learn we will begin immediately."

"Excellent, now what form shall…" That was as far Guiche got before he screamed out in fear, lifting his blade in front of him in a pitiful attempt of a block which merely made Erza shift her assault. Guiche doubled over and grasped onto his ribs which had been struck, thankfully with the flat of the blade.

"I will be teaching you the same way I was taught, by fighting. I never took a single lesson in my life and it was only through constant clashes with those around me that helped me increase in power on a daily basis. Now stand, rise up and know that with every time you parry my sword, every time you block my attack, every time you rise up again you grow ever stronger!"

Guiche knew that to do as Erza had asked him would be similar to torture. He had thought that she would teach him simple sword forms whilst working on his strength and stamina. This...this was outrageous! To subject himself time and time again to being struck down only to be told to stand back up and suffer even more was beyond crazy.

Yet he stood.

His breathing was already ragged as the blow he had taken had rattled him severely but he gripped onto his sword which such intensity that his knuckles went white. He chose not to speak at that moment, his attention needed to be focused and at the ready and he had quickly learnt that if he were to show vulnerability it would be assaulted.

Choosing to take the initiative, he lunged forward with a warcry.

Erza smiled.

…

Erza wasn't smiling.

That evening she had been beset by Kirche offering to take her shopping the following morning. This had come about with the realization from the Germanian that with Louise having summoned Erza from far off the only things she had at her disposal were the clothes on her back. It had been so tempting then and there to reveal the fact she had a wardrobe at her disposal at all times but she had resisted.

Which lead to her current situation, stationed in a carriage with Kirche and Tabitha sitting opposite her (though the blue haired student had yet to say a word and had her nose buried in a book) and Louise by her side. Apparently Louise hadn't liked the idea of Kirche treating Erza to a new wardrobe without her consent and had declared that since the two of them shared a room it was only proper that she agreed to the selection of clothing that would be hung up near her own. Frankly, Erza just found it too much of a hassle.

"So, from what you've seen of Tristain so far, how does it fair in comparison to your homeland?" asked Louise trying to force some manner of small talk.

"You do know that this is my first time leaving the academy?" retorted Erza, silencing Louise and forcing her to look away.

"Oh I bet you've never even seen the styles of this country! While not as top notch as what Germania produces the garments here are quite exquisite in their own right," said Kirche.

"Are you sure it's alright for you to be buying things for me though?" asked Erza.

"Allowance," said Tabitha, showing that she was still paying attention to the conversation at hand.

"So your family gives you spending money for your time at school, that makes sense," said Erza. "Just don't spend too much on me."

"I'm sure your family spent plenty on you back in your homeland," said Kirche.

"I guess they did," said Erza with a shrug.

"You guess, how can you guess what your family did for you?" asked Louise.

Erza bit at the inside of her tongue knowing that she had dug herself into trouble here but figured that the truth would have come out eventually. Taking in a deep breathe, she wondered just how the sheltered girls before her would react to her history. "I don't remember my parents, my village was attacked when I was a child, burned to the ground and those that died were the lucky ones. The unfortunate ones were sent to a sole island where we were treated like slaves, working endlessly for another's goal."

Needless to say, the mood in the carriage shifted greatly at those words and those who had listened were doing their best to try and contemplate just what it was that they had heard. For Louise though she swiftly understood why Erza wanted no part in being her familiar. Locked away for who knows how long, as a child no less, the thought of being bound to another through a familiar contract would likely bring back painful memories.

Surprisingly, it was Tabitha who acted as she closed the book she had been reading and laid it to the side. Despite the fact there was little room in the carriage she moved until she was standing hunched over directly in front of Erza before wrapping her arms around the scarlet haired woman. No words were said but Erza smiled and returned the awkward hug that the quiet girl was giving her, silently thanking her for the comfort regarding something she had put behind her so long ago.

Unfortunately, Kirche felt the immediate need to raise the spirits of those present and Tabitha had just given her the most opportune moment. "Group hug!"

Needless to say, Louise was less than pleased when she found herself sandwiched between Kirche's and Erza's breasts and the resulting explosion sent plumes of smoke billowing out of the windows.

…

The mage of Fairy Tail had never really been one for fashionable trends, her armour being her most commonly worn article of clothing even in her downtime. It just felt right. Whatever it was that Kirche and Louise were debating over was most definitely not. It made sense in a weird sort of way. They were both nobles and still thought of her as a commoner and as such were trying to figure out what was suitable for a commoner to wear. Unfortunately they had never really taken the time to observe what the average person wore outside of the maid clothes that the servants in their manors and the academy wore.

Hence the reason she had made a quick escape from the clothes store before they tried to clash some horrendous colours together under the impression that it was 'fashion.' Once they had worn themselves out she would set about purchasing some items at her own leisure. Something that wouldn't be an eyesore to the rest of the populace.

Thus she had taken it upon herself to familiarize herself with the nearby town, accompanied by Tabitha no less. The timid girl had taken it upon herself to join Erza in her adventure of sorts, more probably to the fact that she hadn't wished for the person unused to this land to either get lost or potentially do something which would get her in trouble. While Erza scoffed at the thought momentarily, she did remember that most of the time whence a small village may have had some 'minor' damages dealt to it that Fairy Tail itself would be sent the bill. Here though she had no such backing.

She did notice that the populace was giving them quite a large amount of space on the street, likely due to the fact they could recognize Tabitha as a mage from her cloak and staff and with her armour it probably looked as if she were a personal bodyguard. Again she found herself hating the fact that even though the petite girl beside her wasn't lording her status over anyone, it seemed almost expected for a noble to lash out at the commoners. In Erza's eyes, it was disgusting.

It was perhaps for this reason when she turned a corner down a small alleyway she took a greater interest in the scene in front of her. The store itself didn't seem like much but the three armoured guards standing out the front were definitely a sign that something was going on. Naturally, Erza wished to investigate. Tabitha, seemingly wanting to avoid trouble, reached out to pull Erza back but the armour wearing warrior had already stepped past her reach. Thus, she followed.

Erza moved at a quicker pace and the guards noticed the approaching threat, treating her as such due to the fact that no simple commoner wore armour on the streets. "Stop right there!" commanded the nearest one, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword.

"What's going on here?" asked Erza as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Official palace business," they responded dutifully. "Now step away and allow Count Mott to finish his business."

Erza took a quick glance through the window at the establishment. It was a weapons shop, swords all lined up in a row waiting for purchase along with a select few weapons hanging from the rafters on display. Erza started putting pieces together. A lord conducting palace business down a shady looking back street with armoured guards blocking the entrance.

Suspect indeed.

"Move," said Tabitha, the student having seemed to realize that Erza was going to march into the shop one way or the other and avoiding any sort of violence was possibly the best solution thus far. The guards, seeing that it was a noble speaking, no, commanding them to move. Standing up to an upstart commoner was one thing, a noble on the other hand…

"Fine," he said begrudgingly, shifting to the side to allow them access to the store. The growl he sent Erza's way as she walked past made the otherworlder wish to punch him square in the face but she restrained herself...for now at least.

"...Sir, with all due respect what you are asking of me is impossible."

"This is a weapon's store, you should be able to make the order."

"The order isn't the issue. The materials alone are worth more than what you're telling me to work for, let alone the man hours it'd take to…"

"Are you saying that you're disobeying an order from the Palace?"

"That's…"

"What's going on here?" asked Erza, announcing her presence to the others in the store. Even from the small part she had heard she had gathered most of the information she needed.

As both the Count and store owner turned to look at the intruders, their conversation disrupted, Tabitha meanwhile silently wished that she had stayed back at the clothes store. At least there she knew what chaos was occurring. Now though, now she got to see just what Erza was made of.

Not surprisingly, she didn't cover part of her face with her book. This was something she wanted to pay complete attention to.

…

 **Hope you enjoyed.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

...

It was amazing how quickly some things could spiral out of control. The standoff in the small weapons shop seemed like so long ago. Now look at where she was. Not three days had passed and she was wearing manicles around both her wrists and her ankles and standing before royalty in tattered prison clothes.

Who knew that punching the Palace's Messenger in the face would get you this kind of treatment?

She was thankful that Tabitha hadn't gotten caught up in the whole mess, the silent student had looked as if she had wanted to stay by Erza's side at the time. The mage of Fairy Tail had given the girl her thanks and had sent Tabitha on her way. The blue haired girl had refused at first, something which seemed oddly adorable watching the smaller girl try and disobey Erza's order. She had had to assure the girl that she would be alright and to leave before the guards came.

It was only in that brief interval when she had been able to speak with the shop manager in private was she able to get the intel she wished. Now she simply had to use.

"Erza Scarlet," said the person sitting upon the throne, scepter in hand. Erza made the assumption that she was the princess as opposed to the queen, she simply looked to young. To the front and right of her throne stood an older woman with a sword by her side. Likewise, armed women stood on either side of the throne itself, six woman on both the left and right.

Erza couldn't help but smile a little.

"Under normal circumstances, you would have been imprisoned for life for your crime," said the princess. "Striking a member of the palace is seen as an attack on the palace itself."

"So should I have seen the slanderous and degrading comments made by a member of the palace as an attack from the palace upon myself?"

Erza's question caused the guards standing adjacent to the throne to stiffen ever so slightly. The woman before them seemingly had no fear for death.

"You will watch your tongue," growled the commander.

"Agnes, enough," said the princess knowing that she had to bring closure to this one way or another. "So you do not deny the charges upon you."

"No."

"Normally I would have you thrown in your dungeon but my childhood friend, Louise Francoise, has asked of me to allow you a chance to speak. She says you are not of this country and thus may not have been aware of the crimes you have committed."

Erza raised an eyebrow at that. Louise was friends with the princess, who would have seen that one coming? "It is true that I am not of this land, I don't even know your name so that I may address you properly."

"You stand before Princess Henrietta commoner," said Agnes on her lady's behalf.

"Princess Henrietta," said Erza as she walked forward slowly, the chains binding her ankles rattling with each small step. Her eyes shifted momentarily to Agnes whose hand now rested on the pommel of the blade by her side. "It is true that I am not of this country, my homeland so far away that I am yet to find it on any of the maps provided to me. Regardless, the rules I have broken I feel are the same wherever I may be. It is true that I struck Count Mott and I took great pleasure in doing so."

"I see," said Henrietta slowly, closing her eyes as she did so. Several seconds passed before she opened them once more and spoke again. "Count Mott, having seen this as an attack not only on his person but his honor and status as a noble of this land has wished to duel you. The duel is set for sundown and will be to the death. Had you shown any remorse for your actions I may have been able to have this called off. Your lack of remorse however has sentenced your fate."

Less than a week had been spent in this world and twice now she had been challenged to a duel. It had been clear in her brief bout with Guiche that he hadn't contemplated taking her life. Any normal human would have avoided the threat with minimal hassle. He had merely wanted to show off. The new duel which had been issued she doubted would simply be a statement being made. Considering what she had done to the Count's face, it was obvious he wanted her head.

Erza looked down at the shackles which bound her wrists. Sturdy by all means, easily strong enough to keep an ordinary human unable to use their hands in any sort of effective manner. Likewise, the metal cuffs keeping her legs restricted could easily prevent anybody from running.

But she wasn't just anybody.

Before she made a demonstration however she needed some manner of answers. "Your highness," she said as her gaze locked on to the princess seated before her. "While I plead guilty to the crimes you have accused me of and will accept the duel issued, may I have a single request?"

Henrietta nodded her head. "If it is in power then I will see it done."

"All I want is the answer to a simple question, one which I believe you should know," said Erza. "How much money was given to Count Mott to spend at the town's weapon store?"

Henrietta found herself blinking several times, mostly in confusion as to why someone's potential last request was something that apparently had nothing to do with them other than perhaps some piece of mind. Most people in Erza's position should have been asking for final words to be given to family or friends. Unless of course the person before her thought that she could handle the strength of Count Mott in a one on one battle. Shaking her head, she cleared herself of such thoughts believing that she was overthinking it before responding. "Eight hundred new gold was provided to Count Mott for the purchases I requested."

"Eight hundred you say, interesting," said Erza musing over this, a small grin on her face.

"Does this information please you in some way?" asked Henrietta.

"It's just, I recall when I asked the salesman his part of the story as your messenger was being carried out of the store that he had only been offered four hundred and fifty new gold for the weapons," said Erza as she shrugged her shoulders, playing the innocent party despite the fact she was still in the wrong.

"Impossible, I handed the funds to Count Mott myself," declared Henrietta. "I gave him eight hundred new gold to spend on weapons for the palace."

"How naive," scoffed Erza.

"Watch your tongue!" threatened Agnes on the side as she drew her blade.

"Why, is it so impossible for your princess' funds to go missing somewhere between herself and the person the money is intended for? If you believe such a thing is unlikely at best then you are a fool."

"Why should I believe the word of a commoner over the word of a man who has served the palace loyally for many years?" questioned Henrietta.

"What makes you think I am a commoner?" questioned Erza, her eyes sharpening and her voice sharpening.

"To arms!" commanded Agnes, automatically seeing Erza as a threat. Responding to the call to arms, the rest of the Musketeer squad drew their weapons, and braced themselves for combat. While at first glance they knew that there was no way the person unarmed before them could be perceived as a threat, clearly their captain thought otherwise and that was enough to get them worried.

Rightly so as Erza lifted her arms up so that they were at eye level before stretching out her arms, shattering the link between the bindings which held her as if they made of glass. Before the remains of the chain had even contacted the ground Agnes was on the move, the rest of the Musketeer squad following.

Henrietta found herself standing up as her personal bodyguard charge forward, weapons at the ready to attack the woman before her. She clutched the sceptre in her hand so hard that it turned her knuckles white. In a few moments she had replayed everything that had happened since Erza had walked before her dressed in nothing but prison clothes and amongst royalty. Yet not once had she bowed, not once had she shown any hesitation in her words or actions, not once had she been intimidated.

That was not how a commoner acted in front of royalty; in front of her.

So who was Erza Scarlet?

She was glad that none of the aristocrats that often crowded her chamber were in attendance, there would be outrage to say the least. She could do nothing but watch as Agnes skidded backwards, barely able to stand on her feet as the rest of the Musketeer force lay on the ground around the person who had been on trial.

A dozen trained swordswoman, and now only one remained between her and the person who had struck a messenger of the court only a couple days prior. Her most loyal guard, a woman who would gladly give her life for her, was now all that stood to defend her against someone who had no qualms striking out at those around her.

Agnes yelled out on frustration before charging forward, her sword held at her side before she leapt up and bringing her blade down in a vicious strike in an attempt to cleave Erza in half. As Agnes feet hit the ground her blade connected with an outstretched palm and for a moment Agnes felt hope that she had defeated her highness' enemy.

The clash of metal against metal however shattered those ideas.

Agnes eyes went wide as she looked at the hand that had stopped her assault now bore a metal gauntlet. Agnes eyes slowly shifted from the blade that was stuck to the person keeping her weapon immobile to find that not only did Erza now wear the protective armour on her hand but it now covered her body. "What?" was all she could muster up before a fist connected with her stomach with such force that she fell to her knees.

Calmly, Erza marched forward passed the downed soldiers until she stood only a handful of feet away from the throne. Henrietta still stood there, frozen in place as she gazed at the threat before her. Her own magical abilities were something to behold yet the mere presence that Erza was emitting told her that such a thing would be pointless. "Who are you?" she asked unable to prevent her voice from wavering.

"I am Erza Scarlet, a mage of Fairy Tail!"

...

Princess Henrietta stood on the outskirts of the courtyard that would serve for the upcoming duel. Hours had passed since the confrontation with the prisoner. Since then, the princess of Tristain had had her eyes opened as Erza explained just who she was and where she was from. Henrietta was even more surprised by the fact that Erza had yet to share this information with anybody else.

She had wished to speak more on the subject with the offworlder but surprisingly it had been Erza's stomach which had cut the conversation short. With Erza having been rushed off to the kitchens so she could fill the void in her stomach, Henrietta had used that time to contemplate some other matters, namely the ones that Erza had brought to her attention.

She had little to do with the populace, leaving many of her jobs to others. If Count Mott was in fact guilty of having stolen money from under her nose, was this only the first instance or had there been others? She had had complete faith in the Count and if it were true that he was stealing finances then he would be held accountable for his crimes.

Provided Erza left him alive.

When Agnes had recovered, Henrietta had sent her to the town with a list of places which Count Mott had visited with money that she had given him. While the products had been purchased, Henrietta wished to know at what price. If he had been stealing for quite some time then she would be certain to reimburse them and personally apologize for the behaviour of one whom she trusted.

Around her were other members of nobility, many of them having come to watch the display. In Henrietta's mind, the battle was already decided and justice would rain down upon Mott regardless of his innocence or not. How those around her took the scene however would be another question altogether.

Erza was strong, of that there was no doubt but even she wouldn't be immune to poison or an assassin's blade. The woman from another plane of existence had come into this battle with only her armour and a sword by her side. Her magic was foreign and she had said that it shouldn't be used for such mundane things as a duel. Had it been anyone else who had said those words, Henrietta would have scoffed at them. With Erza however...

"I have waited long enough wench," shouted Mott from where he stood, his cape billowing in the breeze creating a dramatic flair.

"Very well then. Might I assume the winner will receive the spoils of war," said Erza nonchalantly, eliciting some manner of giggles from the crowd of bystanders. Henrietta meanwhile arched a single eyebrow as she considered the fact that since Count Mott had no spouse nor children to his name then by technicality, Erza would actually gain right to all his belongings by right of conquest.

"There is nothing in your pathetic existence that I want from you you peasant whore," said Mott, his voice coated in venom.

"I see," said Erza as she clenched her fist. "One final question. What words would you like upon your tombstone?"

The match hadn't even officially begun before Mott acted, several almost instantaneous swishes of his wrist sending a powerful jet of water in Erza's direction. The attack was swift, Erza gave it that much before twisting slightly, allowing the attack to miss her by the barest of margins. The wall behind her took the brunt of the attack and a quick glance from Erza confirmed that the attack had had enough force in it to send a spiderweb of cracks in all directions from the point of impact.

Strong, yes.

Juvia level of strength, hardly.

Turning her attention back to Mott, Erza was pleasantly surprised to see that the man had been busy. Finishing his flurry of movements, a dozen lances of water floated above the Count. If a wider blast had cracked the wall, Erza had little doubt that the strength of this attack could tear flesh from bone.

Yet as she weaved from side to side, dodging the attacks meant to end her life she knew that even if the attacks were to hit her she had been struck with far worse and only registered cuts and bruises. The magical energy swirling inside her had made her body that of a fortress. It was still impregnable by all means but it would take a lot more than Mott seemed to be able to dish out.

"Die!" shouted Mott as he sent several water spears at once in Erza's position. Instead of dodging it however, Erza swung her arm in an arc and shattered the water lances mere inches away from her face. The droplets fell around her body as she glared menacingly.

"Impossible!"

Erza knew that there was no longer any point in delaying the inevitable as she charged forward with a speed that none of those present had ever witnessed. Even Henrietta could now see that the woman before her had gone soft on her guards. Count Mott created a wall of water to defend himself but it did nothing as Erza cleaved through it in a single stroke, simultaneously cutting across the man's chest.

An audible gasp surrounded Henrietta as Count Mott collapsed to the ground, blood spilling out of the wound which stretched across his body. He wasn't dead but it was clear who the victor was. Now she would see to it on her honour as princess that she would protect Erza with all the power she possessed from those around her regarding the fallout of this duel.

Already she could hear the whispers, the slanderous comments travelling back and forth between the nobility. They froze however as Erza turned in their direction, walking slowly towards them. Henrietta stepped forward to meet Erza in the middle. Her eyes went wide however as she looked over Erza's shoulder to where Count Mott had returned to his feet, wand in hand.

"DIE!"

Whatever spell the man had wished to cast was cut off as he was flung backwards, crashing into the wall behind him and pinned there by the sword penetrating his gullet. His hands quivered momentarily before his head dropped low, blood leaking from his mouth before all movement stopped.

The duel was over but Henrietta knew that the fallout was yet to come.

...

 **Hope you enjoyed**

 **For those worried about how Erza having taken a life and how it goes against her moral code, please be patient, the next chapter will resolve this**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Erza felt the carriage around her shudder as it ran over a small bump on the road, doing nothing to settle the bile within her stomach. As soon as she had left the public eye the prior evening she had managed to find herself keeled over, as the remains of her lunch violently were expelled from her body. It was a terrible scene to say the least.

She could still not understand why she had done as she had done. The duel was practically over, even if Count Mott had managed to unleash his final attack she had plenty of ways to end it all without resorting to the death of a noble of these lands. She could have crossed the distance between the two of them and punched him square in the face, she could have disarmed him, tossed him to the ground, broken his leg...anything!

So why had she killed him?

She had spent much of the night in disgust at herself and at her actions but she still had no explanation for them. The sour taste in her mouth had barely changed after a restless sleep but she had put it behind her for now. She didn't have any means of finding answers and there was no point in dwelling on something that she couldn't figure out on her own.

The distraction that the Princess of Tristain was creating helped greatly.

Erza had been grateful for the ride that Henrietta had offered her, the ride in the carriage was far more preferable than walking back to the academy and it seemed as if the princess would be travelling there regardless. The main issue with it though had been the questions that had resulted in the confined space between them. As soon as the princess had witnessed the different form of magic Erza possessed her curiosity had risen. In front of the general populace she had remained the pristine version that was expected of her. Many seemed to forgo the fact that despite being a princess she was still a teenage girl and curiosities had to be sated.

"Please, repeat that part about your companion, Natsu. Is it true that he could consume fire?" asked Henrietta.

"Indeed," said Erza, grateful for the distraction that Henrietta brought allowing her to escape her inner turmoil. "As a child he was raised by a dragon, far larger and grander than any I have seen in this kingdom. Igneel taught him everything he could, including Dragon Slayer Magic."

"So, if I am understanding this correctly, the dragon, taught a child magic, used to kill dragons?"

Erza opened her mouth to respond before pausing momentarily as she realized why it sounded so absurd. So she did the only logical thing she could think of in that situation and changed the topic. "Did Agnes discover anymore instances where Mott had underpaid clients?"

"Yes, in only the small time that she had had this morning she was able to find four more cases where Mott had sullied himself and in retrospect my family by paying less than he was meant to. I will rectify this as best I can."

"Take the money from his mansion," stated Erza.

Henrietta looked shocked at such a suggestion. "But, that is yours, you earned it through victory."

"I don't intend to stay here forever," said Erza, her gaze softening a touch. "How many servants did Mott have?"

"At least fifteen, all of which now technically work for you."

"I have as much need for servants as I do for a mansion," said Erza. "I'd like the whole thing sold, land and all. Each of the servants should be paid enough to feed their family for a long time before they need to find work again as compensation and the rest should be used by yourself."

"Me?"

"Yes, use it for the good of your community. Mott's actions will likely have had more consequences than you think. You may just think that all that he has done is anger a few shopkeeps but that is far from all that he has done. Those shopkeeps go into their bars and word of mouth starts to spread, how the palace has ripped them off, demanding work for unsatisfactory pay. It is little things like that which can start things much grander than you can imagine."

Henrietta allowed her head to slump the tiniest of fractions as she took this into account. She wasn't blind to the general populace, far from it but it was clear that she had only seen what the population as a whole had wanted her to see. She would have to rectify that and the funds that Erza had given her would be the first step towards a brighter future. Lifting her head so that her back was straight once more, Henrietta matched Erza's stare. "The kingdom of Tristain owes you a great debt for your actions," she said. "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Likewise, if you need my help all you have to do is call," said Erza with a smile.

"Now, can you tell me more about your world?"

Erza couldn't help but snicker.

…

Agnes pulled the carriage to a halt and was grateful that they had arrived at the academy at dusk. There were few school children out at this time of the evening and as such they could effectively get away without having to put up with too much hassle. She could only imagine the commotion that the princess would bring were they to arrive in the middle of the day. Still they would be here until after the familiar presentation tomorrow and she hoped that they would be able to leave without much trouble.

While the students could be trusted to a certain extent this occasion did leave the Princess out in the open with little professional security in the case that something were to go wrong. Agnes was aware that the likelihood of such an event was minimal but she knew better than to think that there was no chance at all. The pandemonium which could ensue with students screaming in fear and the populace who had come to watch the event doing their best to escape could be disastrous.

Although Erza would be there.

The prior night after all was said and done, Agnes had gone to Erza's room and apologized for her words and actions when the scarlet haired woman had been on trial. Erza had accepted her apology stating that she understood that Agnes was trying to get her riled up. A frustrated and irritated person was more likely to slip up and make a mistake which in a court system could be disastrous.

Agnes had then thanked Erza for not doing any lasting damage to herself or any of those who served under her. It had irked her that the Musketeer Knights had been defeated so easily and when she returned to the castle she would be sure to up their training. Had Erza been hostile then she feared just what would have transpired.

For now though she had a duty to uphold and as she stepped off the carriage and opened the door she knew she had to focus. At the slightest hint of trouble she would be ready to act, however unlikely it may be.

…

Erza stood outside the closed door, not wanting to intrude on the conversation going on between the princess and Louise. Henrietta had confirmed that they had been childhood friends, spending a great deal of their youth together. The Valliere family was quite close with the Tristainian royalty and since they were of a similar age Louise had been the princess' playmate.

Apparently though it had been quite some time since the two of them had seen each other so Erza was happy to give them the privacy they deserved. Or at least as much privacy as Agnes would give them, the commander in the room with them quite adamant that she would not leave the princess' side.

"Erza!"

Erza lifted her head at the sound of her name, turning her head and bracing herself as Siesta attempted to break land speed records, charging down the corridor at a blistering pace before coming to a stop mere inches from where the otherworlder was standing. "Oh my goodness, are you alright? I heard what happened in town, how could you stand up to a noble like that? You could have been killed!"

"They tried," said Erza casually with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I know you're from a different part of the world but you can't mess with the nobility," said Siesta sternly, pointing a finger at Erza's face seemingly having ignored Erza's comment altogether.. "The rules may be more lax wherever you're from but here it's a serious offence to strike a noble. Who knows what could have happened to you, so don't do it again."

"No promises," said Erza with a cheeky smile causing Siesta to pout. "It's good to see you again Siesta."

Siesta couldn't help but allow a soft smile to spread across her features. "It's good to see you as well."

"Have I missed anything since I've been gone?"

"I believe that you might want to see Miss Zerbst when you get a chance, she was quite concerned with your safety and last I heard she was trying to mobilize a Germanian force to break you out of prison," said Siesta. With the level of calmness she had said it Erza couldn't tell whether or not the maid was serious and made a mental note to see Kirche in the morning.

Before she could get anymore intel however the door to the room opened up, Siesta quickly dismissing herself as she had to return to her duties and didn't want to be seen slacking off. Erza couldn't help but think that that had been a wise move, she didn't quite know how the maid would have reacted as the princess stepped out the door, swiftly followed by Agnes. "Have a good chat?" asked Erza.

"It was pleasant," said Henrietta. "If you will excuse me, I must retire for the evening and get some rest."

"By all means," said Erza before she watched the two of them make their way to their quarters for the evening. Apparently something had been arranged with the headmaster quite some time ago so at least they didn't have to go searching for Osmond at this time of night asking for a room.

Erza but those thoughts to the side as she entered the room she shared with Louise, closing the door behind her and ready to take whatever verbal punishment Louise had planned for her. If word had spread to Siesta of what she had done then she had little doubt that the young noble would have heard about it as well.

"You…"

Erza found herself looking at Louise, the young mage in her nightgown and with her wand in hand, shaking with contained rage.

"Louise."

"You…"

"Louise, put the wand down."

"You…"

"Louise!"

"YOU IDIOT!"

The room didn't stand a chance.

…

 **Hope you enjoyed.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

…

Erza stood there with her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall of the courtyard. In front of her was a stage where one of the students and their familiar was putting on a show for the audience. Included in that audience was Henrietta so the duo performing were giving it their all in an attempt to wow the crowd.

It didn't matter in the end to Erza but there really wasn't much else going on and while she would have prefered the comfort of her room Louise should still be cleaning it as of the moment. The explosion she had caused last night had hit Erza dead on but once the dust and debris had cleared Louise had found the person she had summoned still standing before her, a scowl across her face. The clothes she had been wearing had been damaged beyond repair and a lot of the smaller items in the room had been broken in the explosion.

Straight afterwards, Louise had dropped to her knees and begged for forgiveness, the overwhelming presence of the powerful monster that was Erza Scarlet reminded her of just who she had assaulted. A slew of emotions had passed over Erza in a handful of moments before she had knelt down and placed a comforting hand on Louise's shoulder before telling her that she was sorry for having made her worry. This had swiftly been followed up by the announcement that in the morning as punishment for her actions she would miss out on the festivities. This had at first been met with outrage but a stern look had silenced Louise before she could rant for too long.

From the amount of damage that had been done, Erza had originally figured that it would take roughly an hour to finish. That was until she remembered that having been brought up as a noble, Louise hadn't likely done a single day of cleaning in her life. She had been quite adamant that everything had to be done by the time she got back or else.

That had seemingly been all the enticement that Louise had needed.

As the next set of performers prepared for their act, Erza decided that she had seen enough. Pushing herself off of the wall, she made her way through the nearby archway and into the main building. While the little show went from mildly entertaining to cringeworthy at times, Erza simply wasn't in the mood.

Among everything else that had happened as of recently, the time spent in isolation in the palace's dungeon had increased her desire to find some way back home. On one occasion she had ever wished for Natsu to bust down the cell door, a path of destruction in his wake before declaring that he was there to save her. The course of action of course would have resulted in her smashing her fist into his face, declaring that she was doing this for a reason before thanking him nonetheless.

She needed to find a way back to Fiore soon.

Hence her current destination to the library, with a basic grasp on this world's written language and the power of a set of Gale-Force Reading Glasses she had in her pocket dimension she was determined to begin her quest of scouring through the library. With such an extensive collection of books, surely one of them had some sort of reference to travel between worlds. Even if she found something that only described rumours, she knew that rumours simply didn't pop up from nowhere. If she overlooked such a thing and consequently missed out on an opportunity to return to Fairy Tail she would deeply regret it.

Erza paused momentarily and allowed herself to let out an elongated sigh. She knew that she wanted to return home, even if Fairy Tail was struggling with the loss on Tenroujima and a number of the guild's strongest members. At the same time however there was a sense that not all was quite right with this world. The headmaster hadn't been specific with his detail on just why she was being kept on campus to overlook physical exercises but it was clear that something in the background was worrying him. If whatever he was afraid of burst into fruition and she simply left the situation as it was, how would she be able to live with herself?

Breaking it down to a simple point meant only one thing. If the students were being taught how to run, then they were running for a reason. If they couldn't fight, they were to flee. As far as Erza could tell, war was coming.

The students, the teachers, the golem, the staff, all of them were potentially in danger.

Wait.

Golem?

Erza blinked thrice in order to ensure that she was seeing things correctly. Indeed. There was a golem. Big thing, easily towering over a majority of the buildings the school had to offer. Yet not one scream of panic, not a single person yelling out for help. Erza figured that somebody other than herself would have seen the monstrosity currently residing in a facility occupied mostly by school children!

In a flash of golden light, Erza shot forth into the courtyard in Heart Kreuz Armour, sword in hand as she prepared to tackle the enemy that towered above her in every sense of the word. Despite the size difference however she knew that this golem had to be destroyed. If she failed to stop it, who knew what could happen. No matter what, she had to kill it to protect Louise.

Erza paused as she contemplated just what it was she was thinking. Why, above all else, had her thoughts not been protecting everybody on the school grounds but of Louise specifically? Her thoughts had also been to destroy the golem before her as opposed to simply attempting to stop it. Had she spontaneously had these same feelings in the duel against Mott and consequently acted on some sort of instinct to kill in order to protect?

The movement of the golem shook Erza back into the situation at hand as it reared it's fist back before striking out at the tower. Instead of the wall giving way however, the attack was repelled by some sort of shield that left the tower untouched. It had seemed to have not noticed Erza at this point, something the swordswoman took great delight in as she charged forward.

The distance she covered however was done in a time much faster than she had anticipated but she adjusted, planting herself at the base of one of the golem's feet before swinging her blade with power she didn't know she possessed. The blow was clean, striking right through where the achilles would have been and severing the foot from the leg in a single swipe. The sudden loss of balance forced the golem down to a knee as Erza set about gaining some distance from the construct.

From it's kneeling position Erza was able to see someone standing atop the construct, someone that seemed to be controlling the golem and someone who Erza had to kill in order to...

Erza shook her head from side to side as she did her best to banish those thoughts to the deepest parts of her mind. Instead she focused on the fact that the golem was standing upright once more, pulling from the ground beneath it to reform and repair the damage that had been taken. Her target now though was the person standing atop the creature's head, the golem was merely a construct of their own magical ability, much like Guiche's valkyrie.

A golden shine encompassed her body once more and in no less than a second she stood in her Heaven's Wheel Armour, the silver of the outfit glistening in the light of the sun. She raised the blade in her hand and allowed a vast amount of her arsenal to manifest behind her. Dozens of swords floated in the air just above her, a scene which seemed to terrify the person controlling the golem.

The construct's arms lifted in order to defend the person only seconds before the blades descended upon them. The devastating strikes rained on the golem's guard, some blades ricocheting off the constructs arms while others dug into the stone that it was composed of. With their vision cut off however, they were unable to act as Erza shifted armour once more. With the midnight black of her Purgatory Armour encompassing her body, the Fairy Tail mage leapt at the head of the golem with the giant mace she wielded clutched in both hands. With a single swing of her beastial weapon, the defence of the golem was shattered, the two arms crumbling like dirt in the wake of the massive blow.

A gasp of shock rang out from the robed individual, taking quick, trembling steps backwards to avoid the nightmare before her. Her footing did not last long however as she stumbled over a craggy piece of the golem and started to fall. Instead of panicking however she twisted in midair and focused on the ground beneath her. She was Fouquet the Sculptor!

As she began to channel the magic necessary to survive the fall, she was caught off guard as another body crashed into hers. Erza, in a moment of heroism, had leapt off the top of the crumbling golem and latched onto Fouquet, her arm tightly grasped around her waist as in her spare hand she summoned the largest spear at her disposal and with extraordinary strength, thrust it into the nearby wall.

The fall came to an abrupt halt as Erza gripped onto the spear shaft tightly, the metal bending slightly under the combined weight of the two women while in her other hand Fouquet was clutched to the metal of her breastplate. The would be thief quickly summed up her options, the wall close to them almost in reach. Were she to manipulate the stone she could...she could...

No, there was nothing she could do. The strength the woman possessed, the speed and skill, any type of attack she formed would be null and void. "Hold on," warned Erza as she relinquished her hold of the spear, allowing them to drop the last handful of metres at a much slower pace. The tiles they landed on gave way and cracked under Erza's feet but she paid them no mind as she allowed Fouquet to stand on her own.

Erza didn't need to see the face under the hood to know that her opponent had given up and she was grateful that she didn't have that little voice in her head telling her to slay the person in front of her. She would get to the bottom of that one way or another.

Before Erza could start her interrogation of the woman before her and discover just why she had crafted a giant stone golem to break into the academy (the golem had dissolved into nothing by this stage, without Fouquet's magic powering it it had effectively collapsed in on himself creating a mess that the cleaners were going to hate with a passion), the sound of someone nearby caught her attention.

"What...what just happened?"

Erza felt her head drop ever so slightly as she recognized the voice immediately. Turning her head ever so slightly, Erza eyed Louise who had collapsed to her knees, shock spread across her face. The familiar golden glow encompassed her frame as she changed back into her familiar armour, still not keen to go back into her casual clothes with a prisoner in her grasp.

"Let's go see the headmaster, you," she said giving the would be thief a slight jostle, "and...I have some explaining to do."

This was definitely not how Erza thought her day would have gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

 **...**

Osmond hadn't been expecting anybody to be waiting outside his office when he returned from the festivities that had been taking place in the courtyard. When he found Miss Vallerie accompanied by her familiar clutching onto his personal assistant who looked like she wanted to be as far away from the school as possible, he knew that the paperwork he had been planning on completing would have to wait.

Now seated at his desk with his fingers laced beneath his chin, he studied the people before him with hardened eyes. A small nod of the head was all the indication he gave for them to begin telling whatever it was they were waiting to tell him. He didn't say a word the entire while, listening intently as Erza explained how she had battled the construct that had been controlled by his secretary. He was somewhat surprised through the whole spiel that Louise didn't speak up doing this time, allowing her familiar to tell the entire story. Under normal circumstances the mage was rewarded for anything that the familiar may have accomplished.

Summoning a human however didn't classify as normal circumstances in the slightest.

Osmond took the information that he had been given and did his best to take it all in. He had never expected that the person whom he had personally hired to be his assistant would have been a thief in disguise. "Before I lay down my judgement," said Osmond, his voice firm and unrelenting as his eyes focused on the would be thief, "I wish to hear your side of the story Miss Longueville."

"If I am to be honest here, I must first admit that the family name of Longueville is one that I constructed in order to portray myself as a commoner," she said with a small shake of her head. If she was going to be clean about the whole situation she felt that she might as well go all out and hopefully get some leniency on whatever sentenced was laid out for her. "My name is Matilda de Sachen-Gotha of Albion. Disgraced for choosing my heart over the commitments to my family, I was cast aside and banished, stripped of all titles. I left my home with nothing to my name. During this time, I lived with my friend Tiffania who runs an orphanage."

"The money you steal goes to her doesn't it," summarized Erza, guessing the rest of the story.

"Indeed, due to certain circumstances she is unable to work elsewhere. She spends her days looking after the children but without the finances that I send her it is more than likely that the orphanage would have closed down some time ago," said Matilda.

"That doesn't excuse you for what you've done," said Louise harshly before seemingly remembering her place in the room and shutting her mouth, casting her eyes slightly downwards. Erza couldn't help but let out a soft sigh realizing that this was far more complicated than she had first imagined. Considering how many of her missions for the guild went awry she shouldn't have been surprised. Did the reasoning justify the actions? At the end of the day however she wouldn't be the one to pass judgement. Her eyes locked onto the face of Osmond, the headmaster of the academy deep in thought as to what to do with the situation before him.

Before judgement could be passed however, the door to the office swung open after two quick knocks. "Oh, I beg your pardon, I did not realize that you were in a meeting at the moment," said the newcomer.

"Not at all Princess Henrietta," said Osmond as he stood up from his desk in respect for the nobility coming into his office. "Miss Longueville and I were renegotiating her contract extension in order to make sure that all of her expenditures are catered for, a common woman's purchases can be quite expensive after all."

Erza couldn't help but smirk as she cast glances at the two women near her. Matilda had her mouth open in shock and was probably grateful that her back was to the door so that the Princess couldn't see her reaction. Likewise Louise was probably grateful that her expression couldn't be seen by her childhood friend as her shock was more centred around anger.

Thankfully, Matilda recovered first.

"Your highness, I beg your pardon," said Matilda as she turned around and bowed deeply, probably using that moment to compose herself. "Whatever you wish to speak of with the headmaster must be far more important than what we were discussing."

Standing upright but with her eyes still cast slightly downwards, she made a beeline towards the door only to stop when Osmond spoke out. "Just where do you think you're going Miss Longueville?" he asked in a curious tone. "After all you're my assistant are you not, is it not right

that you stand by my side during this meeting?"

There was a single moment of hesitation where Matilda found herself momentarily confused before she turned on her feet and headed towards her position by Osmond's side. As she stepped between Erza and Louise (who had only just managed to get her facial features under control) she allowed a small smile to be seen by the summoned human. "Thank you," she said in no more than a whisper, barely loud enough for Erza to hear as she continued moving forwards.

"Louise, we should go," said Erza, snapping Louise out of the leftover stupor she was in. The student quickly fumbled something that sounded like an apology to both the headmaster and the princess before making her escape.

"Are you sure we didn't intrude on anything?" asked Henrietta, somewhat certain that she was missing some manner of information as to what had been going on.

"Nothing you need to worry about," said Erza with a smile, one which sadly didn't quell any of Henrietta's doubts.

...

"She's a criminal! She admitted to her crimes! Then Headmaster Osmond just lets her stand by his side as if nothing was wrong?" Louise near shouted as she marched back and forth in the room that she and Erza shared, the member of Fairy Tail calmly sitting on her bed. The room had been put back together after Louise's best efforts to destroy everything the previous night but there was still clear evidence here and there that something had caused a lot of damage. Burn marks on the walls and ceilings, one of the cupboard doors were missing and a good chunk of the carpet had been replaced were the most obvious signs. Considering the amount of damage and repair that went into the guild hall back in Fiore, Erza couldn't help but like the refurbishing just a little more than she should have.

"If you keep yelling like that then everyone in the school may know that Osmond is harbouring a fugitive," said Erza, causing Louise to cover her mouth with her fingertips as if that would rectify the problem. "So you would rather that she not have stolen and consequently those children at the orphanage gone hungry?"

"That's...What I mean..."

"It's alright," said Erza in a voice that made Louise believe that her summoned familiar understood. "The world is never black or white. Good and bad are often different sides of the same coin and as a result nothing is ever as clear cut as it should be."

Louise grumbled something incoherent as she sat down on her bed, arms crossed over her chest. Erza ran her fingers through and remained silent as she waited for the next part of Louise's tantrum to come. This one she knew however wouldn't be directed at the criminal she had apprehended. Seconds ticked by and Erza could see that Louise wished to say something but perhaps couldn't process her thoughts properly. Having a good idea as to what topic the student was struggling with, Erza gave her a gentle push in the right direction.

"So how much of the fight did you see?"

"ALL OF IT!" Louise near screamed before her body tightened, realising just how loud she had been. "I...after having spent a good deal of time cleaning up this morning I decided to take a break and see the results of the Evaluation Fair when I saw that golem in the courtyard. I wanted to scream out in fear but I felt frozen unable to do anything but hope that I wasn't seen. Then you rush into the clearing in a glow of light and just...fight it! What was that?"

"I may have failed to mention this earlier but...I'm a mage."

That statement hung in the air for several seconds before Louise gripped at her hair, handfuls of pink strands clutched between her fingers as she mildly thrashed about, as if wanting to yell and scream but knew that another outburst would cause the students living next door to investigate. "A mage!" she finally got out, her voice filled with malice. "I summoned a mage, a noble! How I've treated you, you could..."

"I'll do nothing," said Erza, Louise stopping completely at that as her eyes locked on to Erza's. "Where I'm from, the magic we wield, as you no doubt saw, is quite different and unique to the individual who wields it. Also, it makes us no better than the people who don't have magic."

"What?"

"Magical abilities does not make you any better than anybody else where I'm from," said Erza. "I don't own any land or titles, no servants or followers and I can tell you right now that I would want none of that."

Louise slumped forward, her head in her hands and Erza couldn't help but feel she had just shattered a part of the young girl's core thought process. She had no doubt that this would take some time for Louise to get her head around, the noble girl had grown up with this thought process drilled into her. To hear that those with magical power chose not to use it as a hierarchical structure was probably something she had never comprehended.

Thankfully, before Louise's brain fried anymore than it already had there was a knock on the door. "Come in," stated Erza moments before the handle turned to show Matilda standing there.

"You!" shouted Louise as she leapt up to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at the school secretary.

"Yes, me," said Matilda as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"How was the rest of the meeting?" asked Erza.

"As you'd expect," said Matilda with a shrug before she closed the distance between herself and Erza who hadn't moved from her seated position. Without another word, Matilda slowly dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "Gandalfr, I sincerely thank you for showing mercy towards this unworthy one. Having seen your strength first hand I now know that the legends are true."

"Gandalfr?" repeated Louise.

"Ah, I believe that I must have said something that has confused you," said Matilda. "This may take some time to explain."

"Take all the time you need," said Erza knowing that the information she was about to receive would be some of the most important words she had heard since coming to this land. "Shall I arrange for some tea beforehand?"

"That would be great," said Matilda with a light smile as she lifted her head.

"Louise, could you please find Siesta and arrange for some afternoon tea?" Erza asked of her roommate.

Louise spluttered a bit, probably never having been asked to do anything of the sort before before quickly remembering that the familiar she had brought forth was a mage in her own right. A powerful one at that. "Of course," she said as she got to her feet and swiftly made her exit and Erza felt that the fresh air would probably help Louise were anymore revelations came to light.

"Now, is there anything you want to say while it's just the two of us?" asked Erza of the woman still kneeling at her feet.

"Other than I owe you everything for sparing my life?" said Matilda as she got to her feet.

"You don't owe me anything, though I must admit it was a struggle to hold myself back," admitted Erza.

Matilda's smile vanished at that statement as she focused her eyes on the woman sitting before her, knowing now that she had to address her not as a human, but as a familiar. "Since you saved me, I guess I should give you some insight into the summoning ritual which brought you to this world."

"To find a way back?"

"I sincerely doubt it."

Erza's smile and enthusiasm quickly shattered at that point and she swiftly realized that this was going to be a conversation she must pay full attention to. Gesturing for Matilda to continue, the otherworlder wondered just what kind of information she would be given. "As you may have noticed, I am a mage without a familiar. True, playing the role of a commoner with a familiar would have been almost impossible but there is a reason I don't have a companion by my side. When fleeing from my family, it wasn't in the greatest of circumstances. Quick summary is that one of my first 'jobs' didn't go anywhere near as well as I would have hoped. I never knew about the arrow flying my way until it was too late to avoid. Whether it was meant as a warning shot or intended to kill I don't know. What I do know is that my familiar, Helen, leapt between myself and the arrow."

"I understand," said Erza. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. I often wondered afterwards why Helen had done as she had done and it didn't take long to discover that it isn't such an uncommon occurrence. Nobles who have had many attempts on their life have had many familiars, many of which have had their own life taken from them in service to those who had summoned them. As a human and someone who can actually articulate their feelings, what do you feel of such information?"

Erza couldn't help but allow her glance to drift towards her hand where the runes were etched into her flesh. "In our battle, many times I had to force down the urge to end your life," she admitted. "The problem was though is that I try to avoid killing whenever I can."

"Is there anything specific about those thought patterns?"

"I...I had these thoughts in the back of me head that I had to protect Louise, not anyone else, just her."

"That...makes a surprising amount of sense."

"What do you mean?" asked Erza.

"Gandalfr is a title, given to one who bears those runes on your hand. The Gandalfr, according to legend, is known as the Shield of God."

"Shield of God?" repeated Erza.

"The last person to summon a Gandalfr was Founder Brimir, so understandably it's a pretty big thing."

"But what does that mean though, that every time I pick up a sword I'm going feel the need to slay all those who stand in Louise's way?"

"Possibly."

"Is there a way to break the bond?" asked Erza, lifting her arm so that the runes she bore were in eyesight.

"As far as I know, death is the only way to sever the ties between a master and their familiar."

It was with those words that the door to the room opened once more, Louise having found Siesta and thus brought the maid alongside her with a tray filled with biscuits and a pot of hot tea. As the maid started divvying up the tea, including a cup for herself (clearly the maid wished to know what exactly was going on). Erza meanwhile had the feeling that the knowledge that Matilda would merely brush over the higher details that she had been privy to.

It left a lot to think about yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel that there must be another way to break the connection between herself and Louise. She merely had to figure out how otherwise it was very possible that she would die protecting the girl who had summoned her to this strange world.

Erza would find a way home.

She simply had to.

...

 **Hope you enjoyed**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

 **...**

Louise found herself in a conundrum as she looked over the courtyard to where her familiar was currently doing her best to teach Guiche something reminiscent of combat now that classes had ended for the day. From nearby she could see Montmorency biting at the inside of her lip as she gripped the edge of her uniform with a fist that would crush stone to dust. Likewise beyond her was Tabitha and Kirche, the former seemingly peeking over her book every once in a while to check on any minute developments while Kirche had that creepy smile on her face.

None of them knew that Erza was a mage, and Erza had been quite adamant the prior night that that was to stay that way. At first she couldn't understand why? The mere fact that she was able to access magic was something she had never even contemplated! Not only that, but she utilized magic that didn't follow the four fundamental elements of all known magic!

Erza's magic defied everything she ever knew about magic as a whole, not only that but everything she knew about the stories Erza had told us since they had officially met. She had almost gone into a mental breakdown under the pretense that Erza went one on one with Elves of all things. Now, she still felt that Erza fought against Elves but with the knowledge that Erza could use magic that she had little knowledge on it felt a little more on the even side. It had worried her into the night the possibility that Erza herself was using Elven magic, the minute chance that Erza was potentially part Elf.

That thought had been swiftly tossed to the side, under no ideal would someone with Elf blood, however diluted running through their veins, would willingly be as loyal as Erza had been. Louise found herself using the term loyal loosely, frankly with what she had witnessed with Erza against the golem Matilda had summoned she had little doubt that had the warrior wanted she could have destroyed the entire school! This may have been an over exaggeration but she felt that she had only seen a portion of what Erza was capable of and that terrified her. The fact that she simply hadn't up and left at any given point was astonishing.

It was for that reason she had slowly understood why Erza had been so quiet about her abilities. They were of an otherworldly type, one she would never have even conceived having ever existed and if she had been using them haphazardly people would start to raise questions. It did make her start to question things as well, but more about her own magic than the one Erza wielded.

After the day she had been unceremoniously tossed into a cleaning cupboard she had heard of magic she couldn't even have dreamed of and she had immediately assumed it had been Elvish in nature. Now though, after having seen Erza in action, she couldn't help but wonder if the magic that had been described to her had been the magic of the feared race or if humans had actually been responsible. As improbable as it sounded, even if there was the slightest chance it was true, why hadn't she heard or read about it? Was the world truly so vast that their acknowledgement of what was and was not possible through the use of their own powers so limited?

When she had asked Erza where she was from the warrior had merely stated that she had yet to find her home on any of the maps provided. Had she truly summoned someone from the complete otherside of the globe, a part of the world that had yet to be discovered? A part of the world which had potentially unlocked knowledge about magic she so desperately needed?

Mumbling something incoherent, Louise reminded herself of just why the maps they had were as limited as they were in the grander scheme of things. Nobody had successfully managed to explore past those boundaries and return, either through death or the more possible answer now, had simply found something better than what they had left behind.

Another thing that Louise found difficult to comprehend was the first time when she among the rest of the student faculty had been summoned before Erza. The instance itself was well remembered for two things, firstly for being the most grueling physical activity she or any of her peers had suffered. Secondly, yet now more importantly, was the single moment when Kirche had shot a Fireball spell at Erza who hadn't even attempted to dodge the attack.

It was well recorded and seemingly common knowledge on just what fire did to the human body, yet Erza had no fear of the consequences. Louise hadn't put much thought into it at first, she along with the rest of the student body were likely focusing more on the stress of their bodies afterwards. She had assumed that Erza fought the deadliest of creatures on a standard basis and as such the armour she wore were likely enchanted. But was that truly the case? The fireball that Kirche had sent her way that day had splashed across her armour, it was true, but it was large enough that some manner of skin should have been burned if not lightly scorched by the attack. Was Erza's flesh truly that resistant to the effects of fire? Had Louise been asked some time ago she would have merely stated that nobody was immune to the effects of the elements on the body.

Now?

Now she just didn't know.

"Alright you lot," shouted Erza, snapping Louise out of her thoughts to find that Guiche was once more unmoving, his body laying across the grass and the only motion that he was still alive was an involuntary twitch from time to time. The end of the training session had seemed to come quite abruptly and Louise couldn't help but fear what was to come next. "Come here and line up, I'm going to teach you something."

While it wasn't so much an offer as much as a command, those in attendance couldn't help but feel they had no real choice in the matter and all moved towards where Erza had indicated. A glance to her side showed Louise that Montmorency was looking far from confident and Tabitha had even put her book aside, a sign that she too was being cautious with the current situation. Whatever final blow that had struck Guiche had clearly left its mark on those who had seen it. Kirche seemed the only one who hadn't been affected...at least in the same way as those around her. Louise never could tell just what was going through the woman's mind.

"I'm going to teach the four of you something today that no other teacher in this school likely could," declared Erza as she sunk the tip of her blade into the ground by her feet. "They might not even know this themselves but it is more than possible they have done it in the past without knowing they did so. It is even possible for those who didn't learn magic in an academy to perform this."

Louise couldn't help but pay attention to the wording Erza had used there, a little piece more of the puzzle that was Erza Scarlet taking place. She hadn't lied to those in front of her by telling them that she couldn't use magic but rather she hadn't learnt in a school of sorts. Did that mean she had been taught my a specific person who had taken her on as an apprentice of sorts, or perhaps she had been self taught? Life with everything Louise discovered about Erza it only ever seemed to leak into more questions.

"This technique channels your inner strength, both a combination of your magical, physical and spiritual energy and expresses it in an outward form. For the most part is a sign of your strength and if used correctly can be enough to force an opponent to submit before a single strike has been thrown," explained Erza.

"So how can someone do this without knowing they did it?" asked Kirche.

"It is a display of power without casting a spell. Channeling that power though does leak through your body however. You have been taught in class that you need a wand or staff in order to cast spells, an instrument in which to focus your power through. It is indeed more than possible to cast magic without the aid of a wand however, yet it is far more dangerous. That is not what I am teaching you however. What you are going to try and do is focus on your strengths allow the power within you to grow and feel your own strengths and abilities. As I said before, this will leak throughout your body and consequently have an effect on the world around us. It might be something as simple as making your coat billow when there is not a single breeze and were it powerful enough even others can feel your strength from a distance. At the end of the day, this is also a great indicator of your own ability and can be used to measure your growth in skill over time. Do you understand?"

Even if they hadn't understood, nobody said anything.

"Kirche, you're up first," declared Erza making the red haired student step forward. "Now close your eyes and reach out to your magic."

Kirche listened to the words spoken to her, Erza continuing to give instruction as she delved deep inside herself. Trusting in Erza's teachings, she searched for the strength of her power, unable to find anything until a touch of heat called out to her. The warmth reached out to her, beckoning her closer and closer until she could feel it embrace herself, body and soul.

"Wow," Montmorency couldn't help but let out her astonishment as the she felt the power of her fellow student radiate out from her body. Not only had it felt like the temperature had risen a couple of degrees but she could see what Erza had meant, the looser parts of Kirche's uniform billowing as if a small breeze was trying to emit from her body.

"Well done," acknowledged Erza with a small smile on her lips as Kirche loosened her concentration. "How did that feel?"

"...Incredible," admitted Kirche, allowing a satisfying exhale to escape her body, having momentarily felt more intune with herself than she ever had before.

"Alright then, Montmorency, you're up next."

Nodding, the water user clutched her eyes tightly shut and did as she was instructed. Minutes passed by however before the student opened her eyes in defeat, unable to having been able to express her power like Kirche previously had. When tears started to form in the corner of her eyes, a comforting hand from Erza was placed on her shoulder.

"Don't fret, it's nothing to worry about," the otherworlder said in her most peaceful voice. "Strength isn't everything in this world and it never should be. If you can't tap into it now that doesn't mean that you won't be able to in time but that shouldn't prevent you from focusing on your strengths and the things that make you special."

Montmorency took the words in stride before wiping at the tears that had gathered in her eyes before they threatened to leak down her cheeks. She couldn't help but really wish that Guiche had regained consciousness in order to comfort her at this time. She did get some manner of comfort however, just not from the person she had wished it to come from as Kirche embraced her, pulling Montmorency into her embrace. While she had wanted to fight it at first she couldn't argue that while somewhat unwelcoming, she had no urge to break the contact.

Especially as the world around them seemed to grow ever so colder all of a sudden.

"Tabitha," Kirche said in shock as her constant companion showed off her power. Unlike when her power had radiated off of her, Tabitha's seemed to be more controlled and almost effortless. Although considering Tabitha's usual range of emotions it was difficult to tell if it was straining on the smaller girl or not.

"Impressive," said Erza as she looked at the display in front of her, Tabitha allowing her power to subside before Erza turned her attention to Louise. The girl already had her eyes closed and Erza silently hoped that the girl could find something, anything to help improve her confidence levels.

Louise had heard all of what Erza had told the other students and as soon as Kirche had displayed that it was possible, she had sought to replicate the effect. She had been searching but she had no idea what she was looking for. She could only imagine that Kirche had been searching for her element and of course fire would have been the easiest to find.

But Louise didn't know her element, she didn't even know if she had an elemental preference. She had hoped, hoped ever so dearly, that this would have taught her something about herself, why she had yet to successfully cast a single spell. But there was nothing, NOTHING! She felt nothing, heard nothing and was surrounded by nothing!

And in that single moment of defeat, she embraced nothing.

The explosive power which burst from Louise was unlike anything the other students had ever felt and nearly knocked them off their feet. "Louise..." said Kirche in utter disbelief as her grip on Montmorency wavered ever so slightly. The water mage was fairing no better, unable to make anything that sounded like speech escape her mouth.

Tabitha remained as normal.

Erza meanwhile couldn't help the confident smirk which spread across her face knowing full well that this was something she could work with.

...

"What...what was that?" asked Louise once she and Erza had returned to their room. Once in their private sanctum, Erza had used her ability to change out of her all too familiar armour and into something much more casual before she sat on the bed.

"That was your pure potential," said Erza as she crossed her arms over her chest. "That is our starting point."

"But, I mean, what was that?" repeated Louise. "The power I felt was nothing like the four elements that we're taught."

"Then that means we have more work to be done," declared Erza. "The first magicians when they first started learning had nobody to teach them yet they still learned regardless. It will take time and a lot of trial and error but undoubtedly you will learn too."

Louise brought her hand up and stared at it as if still trying to come to terms with just what it was she had felt. It was powerful and so very, very enticing. The idea however of playing with an unknown magic however was terrifying. There would be nobody to help guide her, nobody to push her in the right direction and nobody to keep encouraging her.

No.

There was one.

Louise looked over at Erza, someone who wielded a magic she had never seen, likely had nobody helping teach her and had likely stumbled and fallen along the way before trying again. Perhaps there had been a reason why she had summoned Erza specifically as her familiar and not something else. A dragon, a salamander, a griffin, all of them would have been incredible familiars to have, but none of them could teach her like Erza could.

Not only had she summoned someone both beautiful and strong, but perhaps exactly what she needed.

That was Erza Scarlet.

...

Montmorency felt her hands shake uncontrollably. She had been shown up, plain and simple. Kirche hadn't been much of a surprise, Tabitha either but Louise, LOUISE, had been able to tap into some huge magical reserve when she couldn't even cast anything properly!

It wasn't fair!

She found her hands grabbing a nearby vase, the flower in it one that Guiche had given her two days prior. The ceramic object shattered as it collided with the nearby wall, Montmorency tossing it as hard as she could before leaping onto her bed and burying her head into her pillow. This way, nobody could hear the shout of rage she let out, nor could they see the tears as they streamed down her face only to be soaked up by the fabric.

It just wasn't fair.

...


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Familiar of Zero**

 **...**

Louise stood before Erza in an open field, situated a half hour horse ride away from the academy. Louise had been adamant that if she was going to learn anything it would be done so without any prying eyes watching any potential...certain failures. It didn't matter that the academy had gone on break for a couple of weeks, Louise didn't want any eyes watching whatsoever.

Erza had assured her that their would be failures, destroying any inkling that this would be any easier than she had anticipated. On the ride Erza had described the innumerable types of magic she had encountered wielded by humans that broke every rule that Louise had ever set about drilling into her head. Sure there were elemental affinities but at the same time they were only slightly similar to the spells she had seen cast around the classroom.

Water for example was something that was easy to comprehend in the lessons she had undertaken. Then Erza goes and decides to destroy every reasonable idea she had about it by describing to her about how one of her compatriots had somehow, through some form of magical mutation, had managed to manipulate the magic she produced in such a way that her body was now the very element she controlled.

A human made of water!

Straight away Louise had questioned whether or not Erza was friends with a water spirit, something which she could only assume was possible because this was Erza after all. When she found that no indeed this was an actual person who had simply transcended everything Louise had ever thought possible with water magic, the young student had had no choice but to accept it as fact.

Erza's stories had opened Louise's eyes piece by piece, opening up the ideas and possibilities that there was something else out there. While the stories were one thing, the visual proof in front of her with Erza alone was helping break the idea that magic was so set in stone. Even the person that the older woman spoke of with such admiration, the master of the guild that Erza hailed from was capable of wielding a multitude of magics, only a handful of which she had even opened her mind to. The ability to grow in size to be taller than the Golem that she had witnessed only days ago was incredible and once more something she had never considered.

Now she hoped that she would discover that she too was capable of wielding magic that was exclusive to this side of the world.

"So how did you discover your magic Erza?" asked Louise as she stood before the person she summoned, hoping for some sort of guidance.

"To survive," declared Erza, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I hadn't discovered my magic in that moment, I would have been killed."

Louise felt her body tense as Erza said that, her breath caught in her throat. Several things immediately went through her mind, none of which painted a pleasant picture. It was difficult to come to grips with the idea that the singular moment that Erza discovered her magic was a life or death situation. She also hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with the possibility that Erza would force such a situation upon her.

Thankfully it would seemingly not be the case.

"We're going to tap into your power again and you're going to channel it not into your wand, but just into the palm of your hand and get an idea of what it feels like. Open your mind to the possibilities of everything, your magic may very well not be defined by anything that you currently know."

"Easy for you to say," mumbled Louise under her breath before feeling Erza's glare sharpen ever so slightly. Ignoring the eyes on her, Louise did her best to contemplate how best to push aside everything she had learned ever since she had first started studying magic. Every assignment about the basic four elements that she had ever handed in she now had to toss to the side, remove the knowledge from her thoughts as she went about discovering just what magic swelled inside of her.

She knew she had magical talent inside of her and as she went about searching for it once more she tried to understand what it was. In that single moment when she had felt it previously she could tell that it was unlike anything that should be defined 'normal.' That thought did send tingles down her spine. She couldn't wait to show off in front of Kirche that she could do something so magnificent that it was...

"Focus!"

"Yes," squealed Louise in momentary fear as she allowed her thoughts to return to the task at hand and lifted up her wand arm.

Focus.

Focus.

There it was.

The magic trickled through her veins and circulated in her outstretched arm. She could feel what it was but as she tried to find words to describe what it was she found herself floundering. As she had known, it felt nothing like the four elements she knew of.

"Describe it."

"It feels...it feels," said Louise with her eyes closed, focusing intently on the sensation. "It feels dark, angry almost. Is it possible for magic to feel emotions?"

"Cast it."

"What?" said Louise in shock, nearly losing control of the power that she held.

"Cast it," said Erza casually as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But, I don't have my wand," said Louise only for Erza to seemingly reach into the air before pulling an overly large sword out of seemingly nowhere. Grumbling something incoherent, Louise focused on the power channeling through her body and pointed her hand towards the vacant area before her unsure of what she was meant to do.

As if sensing her unease, Erza dispelled her weapon and spoke. "Don't try and force anything, allow it to naturally flow through your body. Your magic is an extension of yourself. This is who you are. This is you, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière."

At the sound of her full name being said (something she wasn't even sure how Erza knew in its entirety), Louise unleashed the power that had been building in her. Like how Kirche shot off a fireball from the tip of her wand, something shot forth from her palm. She had no way to describe the item as it looked almost invisible, clear except for some sort of way that light seemed to refuse to pass through it, almost as if it was sucking it in. It didn't help that she had less than a second to analyse it as it shot forth in a straight line towards a patch of trees in the distance.

"What was that?" asked Louise uncertain of just what it was that she had propelled from her body. Her answer came when the magic she had unleashed collided with an ancient looking tree, one of which must have been at least half a century in age.

And it was subsequently wiped from the face of the planet.

Along with a great number of trees around it and the ground they stood on.

Despite the distance in which the two women were from the explosion they could still feel the wind from the blast as it sent their hair fluttering in the opposite direction, Louise nearly losing her footing. She knew a childish scream of fear escaped her lips as she averted her gaze but she felt loss at what else she could do in that single moment.

"Impressive," declared Erza as the blast subsided allowing Louise to see once more, before becoming infuriated.

"It was another failure!" she yelled stamping her foot on the ground.

"Failure?" repeated Era unsure by what her summoner was talking about.

"Every spell I cast ends in an explosion and this wasn't any different, why should it be, all I am is a failure!"

"Have you ever thought that that could very well be your magic?"

Those few words struck Louise as she looked up at Erza through tear filled eyes. Rubbing her face with the back of her palm before her features darkened. The sheer thought that her magic, the bountiful power residing within her, only use was for destructive purposes? This train of thought definitely derailed whatever positivity she had after feeling her power course through her body.

Sensing her unease, Erza continued. "Just because something is destructive in nature doesn't mean it has to be used for destructive purposes. Take the weapons I have for example, they can either be used to harm another, or protect those who cannot protect themselves depending on their use."

"How can explosions be used in a positive manner?" asked Louise, almost yelling in frustration.

Erza did her best not to miss a beat, knowing full well any long thought out answer would sound more hollow than helpful. "Explosions can be used to help clear debris and devastation after a natural distance, or perhaps were a landslide plummeting towards a defenceless town you would be able to disperse or perhaps even negate all potential damage. Alternatively, in areas with limited amount of rain, whose magic would be better than yours to help create new dams to collect precious water?"

"So all I am is a glorified construction worker?"

Erza laid a hand of Louise's shoulder, the young girl tensing at the touch as if it were almost poisonous. "Don't fret about it for now," she said softly. "Just because this is one part of your magic does not mean it's all of it. We will discover just what it is that you are capable, together and at the end of the day I have no doubt that you will be an amazing magician."

Louise didn't know at what time during Erza's short speech tears had started falling from her eyes but instead of trying to prevent them she wept openly, burying her head into Erza's clothes. Erza found herself softly stroking the hair in front of her, slowing recalling all of the feats and failures that she and her friends had suffered ever since she had first stepped foot inside Fairy Tail.

She knew the first thing she had to get Louise to understand now was that her magic was exceptional in the fact that it wasn't bound like the other students who needed a wand to cast. This in itself was an accomplishment in it's own right. Whether or not the other people of this world were capable of doing such a thing was unknown to her but at least that was something that Louise would find unique, especially for someone her own age.

Erza also had to figure out just what percentage of her potential Louise had tapped in that earlier example. While Louise would be desperate to find out what else she was capable of, Erza was far more focused on working Louise down from the ground up with the idea that they could potentially discover something new in the process. Helping in the planet's deforestation wasn't necessarily on Erza's list of things to do every time they started a training session.

This would take time and effort, and a touch of motivation would likely help.

...

"You want me to break one of your swords?" asked Louise in confusion as she stared at the blade in front of her. She had nearly gone off once more when Erza had sunk the tip of the blade into the floor of her bedroom, before remembering just who it was she was speaking to. "And why couldn't we have done this out in the field."

"Think of this as a test where if you fail, the entirety of your room gets destroyed," declared Erza. "We tested what you can do when you unleash your power before, now we need to limit your strength to do a specific purpose without causing collateral damage. Breaking one of my swords is a task which you should use to focus on a specific target as opposed to a large scale area."

"But it's your sword..."

"Don't worry, I have hundreds more," declared Erza immediately crushing whatever empathy Louise had over the idea of destroying one of Erza's weapons.

"Alright," said Louise as she knelt before the weapon and closed her eyes. "You know this could potentially be so much easier with my wand."

"Not happening," declared Erza, shutting that idea down quickly. "Just search for your power again and limit what you channel. Instead of allowing a river of power to run through you, you only need to access the smallest of streams."

"Fine," said Louise with a humph as she set about her task.

"I'll go get us some tea," said Erza, moving towards the exit. As the door to the room shut, Louise couldn't help but crack a singular eye open and shift her gaze towards the wand that sat on her dresser.

Having gotten used to the layout of the academy, Erza made her way towards where the kitchens were located. It was a bit of a trek but unless she encountered Siesta or another one of the maids along the way. This was all on the pretense that she didn't get sidetracked.

"Guiche, get off of me."

There it was, coming from the other side of the door she was standing next to.

"No my dear Montmoroncy, I will never leave your side for as long as I live."

"What about when I have to go to the bathroom, in private?"

"There is more than enough room for the two of us to share."

"No, now get off of me!"

And on that note, Erza had heard enough. Not even bothering to knock, Erza entered the room, nearly tearing the door off its hinges in the process. The sight before her confused her to no regard as she witnessed Montmoroncy atop her bed, doing her best to prevent Guiche from closing the distance any further than what it was. Considering the strength difference however, Montmoroncy was definitely on the losing side and the distance was only a handful of inches away.

At least only for a few seconds longer before Erza's vice like grip latched onto the back of his shirt and hoisted him off of the girl he was trying to mount, almost successfully. Erza had thought better of the boy she had been training but clearly her thoughts had been wrong. "No, please, allow me to be by the side of my love if even for a moment longer," he squealed in desperation, as if compelled to do so.

"Not happening," declared Erza as she contemplated what to do with the boy in her grasp.

"Wait, please, don't hurt him," said Montmoroncy from her place on the bed.

Erza merely raised an eyebrow as she turned her gaze from the squirming mess in her hand to the student whom he had been assaulting. "Talk." It wasn't a suggestion.

...

Erza was returning to her room, a tray of hot tea being carried in her hands as she contemplated everything she had heard. After having deposited Guiche in his room, knocking the boy out for good measure and tying his hands to the bedside posts, Erza had resumed her quest with a new thing to ponder over.

Montmoroncy had used a love potion on Guiche and the effects had been much more potent than she had originally intended. Erza had considered the possibility of just allowing Montmoroncy to reap what she has sown until she had heard of how long the potion was meant to last. Had it only been for a week or so, it would have been much more manageable. Half a year however was a ridiculous amount of time and Erza had immediately demanded that the young water mage make or purchase an antidote.

That was when she had heard of the illegality of the situation and how there was no real chance to find a retailer selling a remedy to cure the effects of an illegal substance. Thankfully, the student knew how to make the cure but was missing a single ingredient and had asked Erza to accompany her tomorrow to protect her from Guiche. That had perked Erza's interest as to why Guiche had to come along for the journey. Montmoroncy then explained that if anyone else were to find Guiche in the state he was in she would be expelled and potentially charged with ill intent towards the son of a noble family.

With all of the details, Erza had deposited Guiche off in his room after having agreed to help Montmoroncy, on the pretense the young girl owed her a favor. She wasn't sure what she would ask for from the girl in the future but it was better to have some sort of insurance for a later date.

Opening the door to her room, she found Louise sitting on the bed, a contemplative look currently residing over her features. Drifting her glance towards the ground where she had stabbed her sword into the floor, Erza failed to find both the weapon or any residual shrapnel that may have come from the explosion. "What happened?" she asked, laying the tray on the nearby table.

"I'm not sure," said Louise, not moving from her position as she continued to think. "I channeled the magic and only let a touch of my magic seep through and aimed it at the sword. But I was so desperate to not create an explosion but to do anything else to it. Then it kind of vanished."

"Vanished?" repeated Erza.

"But at the same time, it didn't feel like I vanished it but because it was a magic sword I may have, I don't know, dispelled it?"

"Dispel you say," said Erza, a coy smile spreading across her lips. "Now that's interesting. I won't get you to try and do it again now, we'll just have some tea and relax and think about what you've accomplished today."

"Well, about what I accomplished," said Louise sheepishly as she averted her gaze. "I may have used my wand to dispel your weapon."

"That's okay," said Erza, surprising Louise. "I had some time to think on the ride back about how our magics are different and while I'm glad that you are capable of casting wandless magic, for smaller precise things it may very well be better to use what you know."

Louise couldn't help but smile at the praise that she had been given as she got up off the bed and set about pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Oh and I'm also going to the lake tomorrow to get a tear from a water spirit."

"WHAT?"

...

 **Hope you enjoyed.**


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